


The Kenobi Scandal

by AppoApples



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 97,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25871575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppoApples/pseuds/AppoApples
Summary: One moment they are speeding on their way to Mos Eisley, only to be hit by a Force instigated sandstorm, and the next thing Ben Kenobi knows is he wearing his old armour with the Jedi insignia and Luke can't find the droids. What's a Jedi to do when he finds himself back before the fall of the Republic? Come up with a cover story more scandalous than time travel: "Luke, this is Anakin Skywalker. Anakin, this is my son, Luke Kenobi."
Comments: 461
Kudos: 1609
Collections: Jedi Journals, Works That Will Not Leave You Alone





	1. Chapter 1

**Dyslexia** : Language disability I have, if you see a misspelling or missing word, PM or buy a Star Wars book :D

* * *

**Another Story?** : Always. I'm restless and depressed, I'm going to keep coming up with ideas that I will wish to share. Nothing left on this account has been abandoned. Hope you enjoy the ride ;)

* * *

**Keynotes:** No paradox, no going back and forth, one way time travel, am I ever going to really explain it other than that's how the Force wanted it, nope. Bit of crack, bit of fix-it, bit of Obi-Wan with PTSD, and a lot of confused Skywalkers.

Chapter 1 - The Kenobi Scandal

When one gets caught in a sandstorm there isn't much you can do.

Throwing himself on Luke and using his outer robe to cover their heads, together they closed their eyes and gritted their teeth.

And oddly, it wasn't the sound of the screaming winds that deafened him, but the sound of the Force, as if an ocean had risen and the waves were breaking against them.

When the storms were over, the Force was sparkling with the lights of thousands of Jedi scattered throughout the galaxy, and the gates to Mos Eisley were unguarded.

"Ben!" Luke exclaimed, "the droids are gone!"

He spun around and Luke went pale, "Ben?"

"What?"

Luke gestured to him, "You're not old."

Ben looked down at himself, his robes had been replaced with his old General armour. He pulled down the sleeve of his dark robe and found the Jedi insignia.

"What by the Force is happening?" he asked himself, Luke, the Force, and Qui-Gon.

No one and nothing seemed to have an answer for him.

* * *

It didn't take them long to figure out that they were two decades in the past. They had gotten themselves tea and were waiting back outside the gates while Ben got his head in order.

He had the impossible task of trying to think of a way to end a galactic Civil War, save the Jedi, and stop a Galactic Empire from devouring the Republic.

But what could he do, Ben had tried his best and that hadn't been good enough.

He looked at Luke, would knowing his son's future help Anakin understand what was on the line?

Ben worried that it would only make things worse.

_Hey, Anakin, you were such a terrible person and father that I had to hide your child on Tatooine, the planet you hate more than the sand itself._

He sighed, no, telling Anakin about Luke would only crush Anakin's spirit.

What they needed was hope.

Ben needed Anakin to have hope in him, needed Anakin to trust that he would support him and Padme.

Which couldn't be done just by telling him, because there was no way Ben could just tell him, 'I know you and Padme are married and I support you entirely.'

Because that was a lie.

He _understood_ but he didn't support what Anakin had done because of his love.

No, Anakin needed to know that there were consequences, that there were real risks, that-

That just because the Order had rules and faults did not give him the right to lose all sense when things didn't go his way.

Ben sighed, and breathed evenly, calming his mind.

The Anakin alive and breathing today was his friend and brother, and he had to believe the good in him could remain, or else the Force wouldn't have brought him back.

So the question was, how to convince Anakin that he loved him like family, as any human outside the Order could?

He looked at Luke and a sudden mad idea came to him.

On Tatooine, people had taken to calling him Crazy Ben.

Perhaps it was time to live up to that title. What was the worst that could happen? He was kicked out of the Order? He loved his family and he missed them terribly, but he had lived apart from them for nearly twenty years, just knowing they were alive was a blessing that sustained him. He didn't need to be a member of the Order to be who he was, and he would always be a Jedi.

"Luke," he began slowly.

The young man who he had looked after all these long years gazed at him with guileless blue eyes.

So like Anakin, yet so completely different. The worst thing that had happened to Luke was boredom. True, he had gotten into trouble, had a few brushes with the Tuskens, and he had survived Tatooine.

Yet the harsh planet had been unable to scratch away Luke's brightness, unable to dim his faith in the wider galaxy.

"I have a plan that is going to cause a lot of problems," he continued.

Luke raised his brows, "More problems than time travelling?"

Ben smiled, "Quite possibly, but I rather think people will believe a scandal before they believe time travel."

Luke sighed, "I know I'm finding it hard to believe."

"To begin with," Ben began, "When I offered you the chance to train as a Jedi, it was because I knew that you wanted to send an application to the Imperial Academy."

Luke nodded, "I wanted to train to become a pilot then join the Rebellion."

"A bold move, to want to join the Empire with the express goal of betraying it."

Luke crossed his arms, "I told you, I hate the Empire, they make everything worse. No matter how bad things were before, they make it worse. Slavery, crime, they even dissolved the Senate!"

"I told you I fought in the Clones Wars."

Luke nodded, "You did."

"I was- I suppose, I am, a High General of the Republic."

Luke gaped at him, "No way. That's amazing!"

Ben shook his head, "So is your father, Anakin."

Luke's eyes were as big as saucers, "What about your pupil, Darth Vader?"

"He works for the Empire, and will not rise to power for another a few years yet, never if we can prevent it."

"How do we do that?"

"Do you want to fight in the Clone Wars, Luke?"

"Of course, I do!"

Ben sighed, "Luke, this is- this war was a terrible thing. Both sides thought they were fighting for their lives, for the freedoms and prosperity of their people. And while the Emperor is evil, not everyone on the opposing side was."

"Aren't you just fighting droids?"

"No, but the droids gave the Separatists near limitless numbers."

"You're making it sound like there is more to it than that."

"Luke, the Republic voted for Palpatine as Emperor, the Republic is the Empire."

Luke shook his head, "That's not what I was taught. The Separatists-"

"Are working for Emperor Palpatine as is the Republic. Palpatine is treating this like it is a game."

Luke frowned, "Then whose side do we fight on?"

"You and I?" Ben reemphasized, "We are fighting for the people of the galaxy, the Jedi, and the clone troopers."

Luke made a face, "Why the Stormtroopers?"

" _Clone_ troopers," Ben corrected, "because they are my friends, and they were created for this game with no choice but to follow where the Senate led them. So I need to find a way to stop this war and expose Palpatine as the fraud that he is without having him blame the war on the Jedi."

"We," Luke corrected in turn. "We will stop him."

Ben smiled, though his heart hurt too. A part of him wanted Luke to become the greatest Jedi Knight the galaxy had ever seen, to become what Anakin had never quite achieved, and another part of him wanted to keep him safe and sheltered.

"War is a brutal thing, Luke, you could die. You will make friends, come to care about the people you save, and you will lose them. No matter how hard we try, there will always be failures, mistakes, accidents, things that will change you, and parts of yourself that you will lose and never get back."

Luke set his jaw, "I understand."

"You don't," Ben said, "but you will. You have much to learn and I have much to teach if this the path you wish to follow."

And just then, Ben was entirely grateful to Owen, because while yes, Luke was young and naive, he was still old enough to make this choice for himself.

Anakin had been too old to join the Order yet too young to understand the sacrifices he would have to make.

Luke was just too old for the Order, but Ben knew him, knew that he could do this. Yoda was definitely going to disagree.

"I want to become a Jedi Knight, like my father," he met Ben's gaze very directly, "Like you."

Ben laid a hand on his shoulder, "Then I will teach you."

Luke grinned, "So what was your 'problematic' plan?"

"It involves a very complicated view of the truth."

"You mean, we are going to lie?"

"No, no, just shape reality to our benefit."

_Or destruction._

Luke looked equal parts annoyed and amused, a benefit to being younger was that Luke looked at him as a mentor and less like a crazy old man. It was subtle, but from the talk they had had in his hut was different than his body language now.

"Alright, what is this complicated truth?"

"Firstly, the Jedi Order does not accept initiates above the age of five years of age."

Luke blinked at him, "I am not a five year old."

"No, you are not, and neither was your father. He was accepted at the behest of my Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, at the age of nine. Anakin found fitting in difficult."

"I'm going to find it difficult," Luke muttered.

Ben smiled, "Indeed, but I'm likely to take you with me as my Padawan Learner, what we call a Jedi in training before they are Knighted, rather than leave you alone at the Temple with the other Padawans. You will need as much training being a soldier as a Jedi."

"What if the Order says no?"

"Then I will leave the Order and I will train you anyway."

"But how can we stop Palpatine if we aren't in the Republic?"

Ben shrugged, "It is a gamble of sorts, I was- _am,_ on the Jedi Council, and the Jedi don't have enough resources to spare a Jedi Master and a High General. I believe they will protest yet allow it, albeit grudgingly, until at least the end of the war."

Luke gazed at him, he was naive, but not stupid, "Was that the scandalous part? Me becoming your too old Padawan?"

"No. The scandal is that Jedi Knights are forbidden from having families and titles."

Luke blinked, "You mean I'm illegitimate? Did my dad even know about me?"

"Oh no, he knew, but he hid his marriage to Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo. No one knew who the father of Padme's baby was except for her and Anakin. So he did know of you."

"My mother was the Senator of Naboo?" Luke asked in an awed voice, then asked, "But wait, does that mean if the Order found out I'm a Skywalker...?"

Ben nodded, "Anakin is only a Knight, and while he is a great General, the majority of the Council distrusts him to some extent. He can be rather reckless and has a history skirting Council edicts. If his marriage to a politician was discovered then he very likely would be cast out of the Order."

"Because he fell in love?"

"More because of his abhorrence for rules. Exceptions for marriage have been made in the past, and Jedi aren't forbidden intimacy, but the fact that he didn't even confide the marriage with the Master who trained him, would look very ill."

"But why is it a problem?"

"Because attachments can lead to strong emotions that can both lead to a conflict of interests during our missions as well push us closer to the Dark Side. The Dark Side isn't a simple matter of choosing to be evil, it is a power that can corrupt your will, influence your actions and thoughts so that the person you become can be unrecognizable."

Luke swallowed, "That happened to Darth Vader, the one who killed all the Jedi?"

"Yes," Ben said, refusing to say that Vader and Anakin were the same person, he didn't want Luke to hate his lineage and he wanted him to look on Anakin kindly.

Few in the Order would be able to understand Anakin as well as Luke might be able to, considering how late he was about to start his training.

That and Anakin and Luke were in the same power bracket.

"So how do we avoid revealing we are from the future? How do we avoid telling the Order I am Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker's and Padme Amidala's son?"

Ben was very pleased with the pride in Luke's voice. Luke's happiness had long since become the only source of his own. "We tell them you are _my_ son. You become Luke Kenobi. Anyone who knows me will think it so scandalous a notion that it has to be true."

Luke laughed, "Too outrageous to be a lie?"

Ben nodded, "We shall stick rather close to the truth. I think I would have been around nineteen if I had sired you. Your mother died in childbirth and I left you with your family."

Luke tilted his head, "But if the Jedi accept initiates at the age of five, why didn't you just bring me to the Order?"

"Because your Uncle refused, he hates the Jedi. He thought I would just get you killed and I respected his guardianship over you."

Luke blinked, "Wait, is Uncle Owen why you didn't train me on Tatooine?"

Ben nodded, "Yes, he was very adamant I stay away from you. But I always kept watch. I was never far, just in case."

Luke looked thoughtful, "So do I lie about knowing you?"

"No, over the years it is possible for me to have slipped away to check on you, but you can say that I disguised myself as a hermit and that you didn't know I was your father."

Luke grinned, "Which isn't exactly a lie."

"No, it isn't," Ben said, "And like I said, it is unlikely that I would be tossed out of the Order, but if that happens, we will stay together. But we will tell them that I have come for you now, bringing you into the fold, because I received a distress signal. Your guardians were killed and I could not leave you."

Luke's smile fell, "Also, not a lie. Ben… do you really think we can change things? Do you believe we can stop the Empire before it rises?"

Ben nodded, "I know I have to try, and all we can do is trust in the Force, it brought us back for a reason."

Luke gave him a half smile, "I don't know about the Force, but I trust you."

Ben pulled the boy into a hug, "I am so proud of you, Luke, and I am sorry this is happening to you."

Luke hugged him back, "Thank you for being here, Ben, even if I didn't know you were always there."

* * *

When they finally climbed into the ship, it was a ship that he had stolen more than bought. The speeder that had made the time travel jump with them was a nice bit technology, but it wasn't worth what he swindled and mind tricked man into believing.

But then, he was Qui-Gon's Padawan, and right now he could have justified outright stealing the two-person pirate fighter.

Having done the math on where he would have been.

And he was about to take Luke into one of the worst battles of the entire Clone Wars.

Soaring with lights off, he urged Luke to be silent as Ben reintroduced himself to piloting in the most extreme fashion. An unneeded reminder of why he disliked flying.

The higher atmosphere was in chaos but as they reached the surface things grew quieter.

Ben wasn't fooled, everything on this planet wanted them dead. His memory was good but even he couldn't remember where he had been on the planet.

It would be interesting to discover if his younger counterpart was still running around as his double or if he had disappeared.

If he had disappeared then he could have only been gone less than a day or two. He wasn't overly worried. It would create more tension with the Council, but Cody could handle his absence well enough.

Though Cody, Gregor, and Waxer were going to be pissed about his random disappearance if this was the case.

He spotted the first clone after a half hour of ghosting the surface. Only his Jedi senses, and probably the illegal 'modifications' to the technology, had kept them from being spotted.

Luke stood out on this dark planet like a fish in the desert. Ben handed the shivering boy his outer robe. His own armour underneath was enough for him. Luke took the robe gladly as he mutely stared around at a world that had never known sunlight.

Ben had an urge to take Luke to Mon Cala, he was sure his reaction would be equally bewildered. Ilum was certainly going to be a treat.

Ben waved to the nearest troop, who greeted him with nod, but even under the helmet, Ben could feel his confusion.

Blue stripes.

"These are Anakin's troops," Ben said in a low tone as they made their way across the everchanging ground, "The 501st Legion."

Luke nodded.

"Where is Captain Rex, Mixer?" Ben asked, even after all these years remembering the men he had served with. Although he had almost referred to Rex as Commander.

Mostly because he had obsessed over the Clone Wars trying to spot all the places he had gone wrong.

"Half a kilometre ahead, Sir," he said, not questioning him or Luke being here.

Rex would, but then Rex was Anakin's right hand man after Ahsoka.

Ben paused, "Are you alright? You all seem a bit frazzled."

Noticing some edge in the air around them, the clones were typically at their best during a battle, even on Umbara.

Mixer hesitated, but then said in an almost monotone voice, "General Krell is not General Skywalker."

"Most of the Masters are nothing like Anakin," Ben noted with some amusement.

Mixer said nothing.

Ben, sensing that he wouldn't say anything else unless he forced the topic, dipped his head in acknowledgement, Master Pong Krell was killed on Umbara. But as he walked on, he wondered at Mixer's comment.

Was there something he didn't know about Krell's death? Rex had reported him eaten by something.

He paused to catch Luke as he stumbled into him, and by then they could hear people talking.

He heard Krell's dismissive tones, "The men don't need rest. They need the resolve to complete the task at hand."

"But sir-"

"CT-7567, are you reading me?"

Ben stiffened, holding his position, some of the clones had noticed them but Ben and Luke were standing at Krell's back and he was blocking their view of Rex who Ben didn't need to see to know.

"Excuse me, Sir?" Rex addressed Krell.

"I asked you a question, CT-7567. Do you understand the need to adhere to my strategy?"

Ben had literally lived through the genocide of his entire people at clone hands and he wanted to reprimand the Besalisk.

Rex continued to try and reason with him, "Sir, the terrain is extremely hostile. Despite the difficulty of the conditions, the battalion is making good time. These men just need a little break."

"Captain, do I need to remind you of this battalion's strategic mission in conquering this planet? Look back. See those platoons? Their mission is to take this city and take it swiftly. Time and rest are luxuries the Republic cannot afford. We are the key to this invasion. The other battalions are counting on our support. If we fail, everyone fails. Do you understand this? Do all of you understand this? Now, move on!"

"Sir, we're ready to bring our forward platoons in for a surgical strike on the city's defences."

"There won't be any need, Captain."

"Sir?"

"All platoons will execute a forward assault along the main route to the city," Krell said reasonably.

Ben's mouth actually popped open, the main road was mined and being watched. All the generals knew that, Plo had reported that to them long before Anakin and the 501st had landed, that much Ben remembered. His physical reaction garnered more of the clones' attentions, only Rex who was out of view wasn't aware he was there yet.

"But. Sir, General Skywalker's plan was to surprise them with multiple attacks. If we come in from the main route, they're likely to engage us in a full-frontal assault."

Luke nodded beside Ben.

Even a cadet understood a decent plan from suicide.

"Change of plans, Captain. I'm in command now."

Rex, the intelligent one in this discussion, spoke patiently, "With all due respect, General, we don't know what we're up against. It might be wiser to _think_ first."

Fives, likely bolder because he knew Ben was there, stepped forward, "Sir, we cannot do a frontal assault after marching at this pace for twelve hours after the battle we survived yesterday on no sleep."

Rex stepped in front of Fives, "Sir, please, even an hour, just so-"

Then two things happened, Rex's eyes widened when he finally spotted Ben and Krell did something utterly unforgivable.

Krell pulled his lightsaber.

Ben did not care if Krell was only grandstanding, a General, a Jedi, did not draw on his troops.

Knowing how fast this could escalate, he raised his hand, Force pushing back both Rex and Fives, sending them meters back, they hardly had time to keep their feet before the sound of lightsabers clashing filled the clearing.

Krell's eyes were wide, and he growled, " _Kenobi."_

Ben smiled, "You sound like Grievous."

Krell leaned into the blades, "You weren't supposed to be here."

"Interesting," Ben remarked drily, "And you were supposed to lead the troops, not kill them."

"I was only motivating them. They are mindless animals."

Ben lost all sympathy for Pong Krell in that moment.

A long time ago he had been known as one of the best duelists in the Order, twenty years later of having little to do but practice his form:

He was better.

If Krell wasn't a traitor he would be trying to de-escalate the fight, he would be trying to bow out.

He did neither of these things.

The clones gave them space and Luke watched them wide eyed, Ben was careful not to glance at the boy again lest he make Luke Krell's new target.

Ben's Form III, Soresu was a defensive style and Krell relied too heavily on having two double lightsabers to give him an advantage.

But Ben had fought a resurrected Darth Maul and Savage Opress and not died. Krell wasn't that dangerous.

Being back in his late thirties was also much easier than his fifties in which he had been worn down by that Tatooine suns.

Force help him if he was going to retain his youth this time around. As a Jedi, his fifties shouldn't have slowed him down as much as that desert had.

Unable to even get a close strike, Krell snarled in his face, "What do you think you're doing here? Attacking a fellow Jedi Master?"

Ben's voice was even, as if they were sitting down for a cup of tea, "You drew on my Captain, and I'm wondering how you became a Jedi Master. I certainly wouldn't have passed you."

Krell smiled, "If I kill you, Dooku will take me as his next apprentice."

Ben's brows rose.

Maybe the Dark Side really did make people stupid.

He had just said that aloud in front of the clones, if he ran now, they would kill him.

But Ben didn't give Krell that chance.

Seconds later Master Pong Krell lost both his duelling hands. Ben cut right through the sabers as he had with Maul, but instead of simply breaking the sabers, Krell screamed from his hands being spliced, and he continued to scream as Ben flicked his saber back up to take the hands off at the wrists.

Ben glanced over his shoulder to Rex who was staring wide-eyed at him, "Mind setting your blaster to stun, Captain?"

Rex blinked at him, then raised his blaster, flicking a side switch and lock before putting an end to Krell's bellows.

Ben looked back to his charge, "Are you alright, Luke?"

Luke's eyes were too wide, but he managed a weak, "Yeah, I'm alright."

Ben signalled to the rest, "Everyone make camp, we'll be following General Skywalker's plan. And I'm supposing if you have marched for twelve hours you've made excellent time."

Low laughter rumbled through some of the troops, a breaking of the tension and exhausted relief.

Nothing like having one of your wizard generals turn on you to give you an adrenaline rush.

The officers approached him with that experience clear on their face, "General Kenobi," Rex said, "Thank you."

"You saved us," Fives breathed.

Ben waved it away, "I'm sorry you had to work with him. Do you have com I can borrow, I need to check in with Cody."

Rex nodded and passed over his com, a moment later a hologram image of Cody appeared.

The hologram image immediately crossed his arms, "Sir."

In one single word, a world of rebuke and judgement.

Ben had to hide a smile, "Commander, I trust all is well."

Waxer pushed into view, "All is well!? You disappeared into thin air!"

At least he knew now there were no Obi-Twos running around, "I was needed elsewhere."

Cody's face was blank, but it was still a scowl nonetheless, "Where did you go?"

Ben wasn't sure the science would support him, but he had a plan to stick to, "An emergency on Tatooine, I'm afraid."

Rex visibly startled before him, and everyone who had heard him looked at Luke who had until that moment been rather unassuming.

"And you couldn't have warned us? We were in the middle of a battle," Cody said, not yet aware of their unassuming addition.

"I lost my com."

"Sir, you were right beside me."

"Is everyone alright?"

Cody sighed, "We sustained minimal losses, but we wasted time looking for you that we could have spent resting."

"My deepest apologies, Cody, it was not my intention to depart like that," Ben said, thinking that if he had a choice he would have time travelled back before the war started.

Maybe before Qui-Gon had passed on.

Cody nodded, "Was the emergency handled?"

"Yes," he said, "I'm with the 501st currently."

"Skywalker was recalled before you left, where did General Krell take them?"

Ben looked to Rex who gave the coordinates.

"You're ahead of schedule," Cody noted with a pleased nod.

"I'm going to stay with the 501st on this one," Ben said, "I defer to your judgement with the 212th."

Cody's eyes widened, "I hardly think the 501st needs two Generals."

Fives tilted into the conversation, "Krell is a Sith wannabe who was trying to kill us by taking us up the main road."

Cody stared at Fives, then looked slowly at Ben, "Is he dead?"

"In custody, missing a few hands and his lightsabers," Ben said easily. "He will stay bound and we will drag him behind one of the walkers. If he dies en route from being eaten by something then that will be the Force's will."

Cody uncrossed his arms, "Did he hurt anyone?"

"Aside from ordering the 501st to march for twelve straight hours," Ben met Rex's gaze, "Or did I miss something?"

Rex shook his head, "No, that's all, General Kenobi."

Ben almost said, _Ben is fine,_ but caught himself. "Is there anything else, Cody?"

"No, Sir. Would you like me to report all this to General Koon?"

"Did you tell him I went missing?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Would you perhaps mind telling him I lost my communicator and was held behind?"

Cody stared at him a moment then nodded, "Yes, Sir."

The 501st and the 212th were used to stretching the truth in their reports. Cody, come to think of it, didn't actually need to make that many reports as Ben was his representing Council member.

"May the Force be with you, Cody," Ben said aloud for the first time in nearly twenty years. It wasn't something he had been allowed to say, and the freedom of it was elating.

He was a Jedi again, with all the honour and responsibility that held.

He no longer had to hide away, turning away from the pain of the greater galaxy.

Cody nodded, "And with you, Sir." Then he signed off.

Ben handed the com back to Rex.

"Sergeant Appo," Ben called.

Appo straightened coming forward and taking off his helmet, "Yes, Sir."

"I would like you all to meet my new Padawan, Luke. Luke this is Sergeant Appo, you are going to stick to his side and do everything he tells you. Appo, Luke is unaffiliated with the Order, he has no rank. He is no better than a civilian, he has no military training and no defensive training."

He felt bad about saying this in front of Luke, Anakin would have lost his temper if had said such things, even if they were true, but they needed to be said. For the clones, Padawan translated to Jedi Commander. Luke just wasn't ready for that yet.

Fives raised his brows, "And you brought him to Umbara? Even Commander Tano wasn't permitted to come."

Ben nodded, "It wasn't my intention for this to be his introduction to training." He clapped Luke on the back, and he startled but gave Ben a hesitant smile, "But trial by fire can make a man, no?"

It wasn't a belief Ben actually held, but in all honesty, the Umbarans weren't as dangerous as Luke going to the Imperial Academy.

Vader would have plucked him up within a year.

Luke not going to the Academy was one thing he and Owen Lars had been in perfect agreement on.

Owen had grudgingly agreed to send him straight to Bail Organa and be trained in the Rebellion before they let him go to the Imperials.

Their last conversation had been discussing the issues in letting Luke keep his surname might have caused. Ben had wanted him to change it from the beginning, but Owen had been adamant about Luke being his nephew and not his son.

"What were you before becoming a Padawan?" Rex asked Luke who was staring at them all with a bit of wonder and a bit of shell shock.

"Er, a moisture farmer."

The resulting silence was resounding.

Appo gave Ben an almost unfriendly look, "And you want us to keep him alive?"

Luke stiffened, "I'm not going to slow you down."

"You will," Ben said without malice, "However, we need an officer in the back in case of an ambush, and you will learn, Luke. You lack experience, not capability. I wouldn't doubt it if you could keep up with ARC fighters in the skies. But for now, listen to Appo and the other troops, duck when they tell you to duck, stay when they tell you to stay, and please, run when they tell you to run. All of these men have trained for war all of their lives, each has something to teach you if you let them."

Luke nodded, "Alright, Ben." He bowed his head to Appo next, "Thank you for this, I will do my best not to be a burden."

Ben had a startling realization: He finally had a Padawan who he could maybe trust to follow instructions.

Rex voiced it, "He's nothing like Skywalker, is he?"

Luke gave Ben a questioning look, Ben could only smile, "Anakin would have resented everything I just told you."

"Why?" Luke asked, "You're only being honest, and this is the first time I've been off of Tatooine."

Again, Appo gave Ben a 'why me?' look.

But Fives gave Luke a sympathetic one, "I remember my first time off Kamino, most of the troops here were thrown right into battle within our first days off-world. You really do adjust."

Luke gave him a grateful smile, "Thanks."

"Alright," Ben said, "Everyone, get some rest. I'm sure whatever Anakin has planned for us is going to require sharp minds."

"Yes, Sir," the officers chorused.

Ben gave Luke a gentle push to follow Appo.

Luke went, looking a bit like a lost eopie calf.

Rex stayed with him to discuss Anakin's plans and secure Pong Krell to the back of a walker.

He was going to be very battered by the time they brought him back to the Temple.

* * *

Luke was pretty sure he was losing his sanity, but if he was, at least he wasn't going to die on Tatooine.

That thought was one he instantly regretted.

A clone named Echo asked him, "You okay?"

He nodded.

"General Kenobi said he pulled you out from an emergency."

Luke hesitated then realized that a lot of people were going to want to know his back story, and the only lie he really needed to keep track of was not using either the Skywalker or Lars names. "My guardians were murdered by Imp- Separatists."

Okay, this might be more difficult than he thought.

"Why?" Appo asked.

Luke didn't know what to say, but he figured the truth, or their cover story was going to come out sooner or later. And really, why would the Separatists come after a nobody moisture farmer.

"Because General Kenobi is my dad," the words came naturally.

He knew Ben, had known him all his life, and the idea of a father had always been a distant one. Uncle Owen had made him believe that he was a nobody, a spicetrader. Him turning out to be a Jedi Knight and General from the Clone War era was mind blowing.

Finding out that Old Ben was too was more so.

But in many ways, he knew Ben better than he might ever know Anakin Skywalker even if he met him. The idea that Ben was his father wasn't an abhorrent one.

And honestly, if his choices were living in the wastes with Ben or with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on the farm, he would choose the farm any day.

He was really going to miss them.

The clones were staring at him mutely and finally, Echo echoed, "General Kenobi is your father?"

Luke nodded, "Luke Kenobi, that's me." He tried to smile but the circumstances surrounding it wasn't a smiling matter.

He was freezing cold even huddled in Ben's robe, and he had time travelled.

_Time travelled._

Oh, and apparently Jedi Knights were phantoms of justice, but warlords who could turn on each with magical weapons that could slice through bone without slowing.

He was suddenly glad he didn't have Anakin's lightsaber anymore.

Was he even capable of moving the way those two had been. Ben had been all grace, like wind, moving from place to place without hindrance, almost faster than the eye could follow.

Appo stared at him, "So you're his biological son and his Padawan?"

Luke nodded.

"Do you know?" a clone named Hardcase asked, "Before yesterday, I mean?"

"Yeah, I mean, not as my father, he was just Old Ben to me. I thought he was just a hermit living in the Wastes."

"And you have no training?" Dogma asked.

"I can pilot," he said, feeling severely outclassed by everyone around him.

"How old are you?" Appo asked.

"Nineteen."

Appo and a clone named Dogma exchanged a look.

"What?" he asked.

Appo met his gaze, "Jedi don't have families outside the Order."

"Ben said there was going to be some issues with the Council."

Echo grinned, "I wouldn't worry too much about that, General Kenobi is on the Council."

Appo shook his head, "General Skywalker is going to be oh so amused about this."

"About Ben having a kid?" Luke asked.

"No," Echo said, "about Kenobi breaking the rules."

"Ben said it's not against the rules to be, um, well, just that to be married and raise children isn't okay."

Appo nodded, "But in that case, he probably shouldn't be bringing you into the Order when you aren't a youngling, and especially not personally taking you as his Padawan."

Luke stared at him, "Do you have a problem with it?"

Appo smiled at him, "No, I don't. General Kenobi is a great man, you should be proud to have him as both your sire and your teacher. And if you are anything at all like him, you will be very welcome among us."

Luke couldn't help smiling back, he just needed to survive the upcoming battles and then everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Ben didn't even know why he expected a different outcome.

His first Padawan was Anakin.

His second Padawan was Anakin and Padme's son.

Luke wasn't going to get into less trouble.

For that matter, giving him the last name Kenobi, probably was inviting more trouble, not less.

Because while Anakin might start trouble and purposely search it out wherever he went, trouble seemed to follow Ben around with the devotion of a Bantha youngling following its mother.

"So let's try this again," Ben said, falling back into his role as General with a near painful ease, "what part of stay out of trouble led to you flying a foreign ship into the front lines of battle."

"You said he was a pilot," Fives said.

Luke just grinned, far too proud of himself.

Ben was proud of him too, they had secured the base and they would be off this planet in a matter of hours once the second wave of troops came in. Luke had managed to sneak into the enemy's lines with Appo and pilot stolen ships, act as reinforcement for their frontline, and blow up the largest enemy starcraft.

But then hadn't Anakin managed much the same on Naboo before becoming a Padawan?

Ben sighed, "That's the last time I leave you alone with the 501st."

Rex smirked, "We both know that isn't true, he's a Kenobi too, after all."

Ben was unsurprised that Luke had confided in the clones, and he glad that the first time he gave his back story wasn't going to be in front of the Council, but nonetheless, he pointed at the Captain, "Don't you dare tell Anakin, I want to be the first to break the news to him."

Rex actually grinned this time, "Yes, Sir."

* * *

Anakin and Ahsoka met them on the docks. Rex, Appo, Fives, Dogma, Cody, Gregor, and Waxer were with them.

The 501st knew, the 212th did not.

Anakin smiled at him, "You wrapped that up rather quickly. But I heard Krell is on his way to holding so he can be questioned before imprisonment?"

"He threatened Rex and claimed to want to kill me to impress Dooku," Ben said, when really what he wanted to do was hug them both and beg for their forgiveness.

Nineteen years, it had been nineteen years.

He had missed them more than he had words for.

Ahsoka frowned, "It's a good thing you were there then, but why were you with the 501st and not the 212th?"

"I had to make a slight detour to Tatooine. When I landed back on Umbara, I was closer to the 501st, thank the Force."

Anakin scowled at the mere mention of his homeworld, "What in the Sith-spitting hells were you doing on Tatooine?"

Taking a page from Anakin's book, he stepped to the side rather dramatically to reveal Luke who had been gaping at the city around them. Luke turned those inquisitive eyes on Anakin and Ahsoka.

"Padawan Luke, I would like to introduce you to Padawan Ahsoka Tano and Knight Anakin Skywalker. Ahsoka, Anakin, I would like you to meet my son, Luke Kenobi."

And Ben knew this had every potential and probability to blow up in spectacular fashion as everything in his life always did, but just at that moment, the look on Anakin's face made it all worth it.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, eopie calves, or feedback, pretty please?


	2. Listen

AN: AAAAAHHHHH! I love you, reviewers! You make posting worth it! You make me feel connected across the distance!

Chapter 2 - Listen

Anakin Skywalker had a few constants in his life, his love for Padme, his duty to keep Ahsoka safe, and Obi-Wan always bringing him back to the line of what he should and, technically, shouldn't do.

Yet here stood before him, living breathing proof that Rule Abiding Kenobi wasn't nearly as lily white as he pretended to be.

Cody was giving his General a sideways look, which for the Commander was tantamount to a dramatic gasp.

Luke _Kenobi_ smiled at Anakin and held out his hand, "It's nice to meet you."

Anakin could only stare at him. He was blonde and fair like Obi-Wan, but there was something so intangible familiar about the boy's face that didn't remind him of Obi-Wan.

Ahsoka sniggered at him, elbowing him, she stepped forward to grasp Luke's hand, "Well met, Luke Kenobi."

He grinned at her, the light on his face reaching all the way into his blue eyes.

He was shiny, like a part right of the polisher.

And he was from Tatooine? Anakin couldn't remember anyone from that sand pit being this… friendly. Especially not to strangers.

Luke turned that bright happy-go-lucky expression on him, expectant, yet not forceful.

Anakin finally found his voice but crossed his arms to avoid a handshake, no need to spook the kid with a metal hand, "Nice to meet you, Luke."

He couldn't wrap his head around the Kenobi part.

Obi-Wan smirked at him, mirth dancing in his blue eyes as he waited for more of a reaction.

But Anakin came back to, "Why would you leave anyone on Tatooine?"

"It's where his family was."

A thin trickle of rage spiralled in his gut, "So you saved your son but you wouldn't let me save my mother?"

The mirth drained from Obi-Wan's expression, "You told me you were having nightmares. Anakin, you had been living at the Temple for ten years, living with _me_ for ten years. I've had visions in front of you before. If you truly believed your mother was in danger from Tuskens you should have told me."

"I did tell you."

"You told me you were having trouble sleeping, nightmares are different from visions. You know that."

Anakin felt his cheeks heat, he did know that, but in his Padawan years he had sometimes gotten tongue tied around Obi-Wan. He found it easier to confide in Yoda and Palpatine who were his actual elders. He hated showing weakness in front of Obi-Wan.

But had he short changed Obi-Wan? Would things have been different if he had fully explained himself rather than assuming Obi-Wan would disapprove because it was an 'attachment'.

He looked back at Luke.

And shame washed over him, maybe he had.

Then he reheard what Obi-Wan had just said, "Did you say Tuskens?"

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, and Anakin shrank back from him: _He knows._

But Obi-Wan didn't lecture him, even if his gaze was hard, instead, he said, "I have been checking in on Luke over the years, just to be sure he's safe. I know the Lars family."

Anakin swallowed, but when Obi-Wan said nothing more, Anakin asked Luke, "So you were a moisture farmer?"

Ahsoka giggled.

Luke frowned at her, "What?"

"I'm sorry, I- it's just hard to picture Obi-Wan's son as a farmer."

Obi-Wan cracked a grin, "I was almost a farmer."

"Really?" Luke asked.

"I wasn't picked as a Padawan, I was too aggressive and impatient. I was sent to Bandomeer in the agriculture corps. Qui-Gon was sent there too on a separate mission from mine."

Luke gazed up as his father with interest, so did Anakin.

"You never told me this."

Obi-Wan shrugged, "I didn't want to encourage you, also the story is a bit complicated."

"Complicated how?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, on my first day away from the Temple, I managed to get myself choked out by a Hutt, which did not impress Qui-Gon at all."

Luke's eyes widened, "Surviving a Hutt is actually quite impressive. How old were you?"

"Thirteen, it's the relative cut off date for humans or human-adjacent species within the Order."

"I didn't get picked either," Ahsoka said with a bit of sorrow.

Obi-Wan smiled at her, "I would have taken you as my next Padawan if Anakin hadn't. You probably weren't picked yet because everyone has been wary of taking on Padawans during the war."

"I thought it was because I was too aggressive," she said.

Obi-Wan shrugged, "You're a Torgruta, Ahsoka, that doesn't hold against you quite as much as my jealousy of my peers did."

"What did you have to be jealous over?" Ahsoka asked the question Anakin had been about to.

"At thirteen I was very klutzy, and I made a few enemies in my age group that would gang up on me."

Anakin gaped at him, "You got beat up by your classmates?"

Anakin had never been an initiate and he had never been assaulted by any of the other Padawans, but he had been teased by them, given the cold shoulder, and more often than not cut out completely from making closer friendships.

He had been an outsider who had skipped ahead in their eyes to being a Padawan. So being both younger and completely behind even most initiates had been isolating, but the Knights and Padawans were all so circumspect, he hadn't really understood that they were normal in their own circles.

Obi-Wan nodded, "Bruck Chun."

Anakin didn't know anyone by that name, "What happened to him?"

"He and Qui-Gon's old apprentice, Xanatos, who had long joined the Dark Side, tried blowing up the Temple. Bruck and I duelled and, well, I didn't mean to kill him, but he died because of me."

Ahsoka's eyes were bright, Obi-Wan never told stories like this, even the clones were watching this discussion with rapt attention, "What happened to Xanatos? Was he a Sith? Is he still out there?"

"No, Xanatos wasn't a Sith, but he had been an extremely talented Padawan, very powerful, but he chose to reclaim his family's title and power over becoming a Jedi Knight. Qui-Gon and I went on a mission that was not sanctioned by the Council to try and capture him. Xanatos killed himself rather than being caught. I believe it hurt Qui-Gon greatly, it was a long time before I escaped Xanatos's shadow." He met Anakin's gaze then, "Qui-Gon was always afraid I would turn on him and fall to the Dark. That's why, despite his being a maverick, he was very strict with me. I could never tell what he was thinking."

Anakin frowned, "You were so close to him when he died though."

"I was, and I cared for him deeply, but that didn't mean I understood him fully. Better than most, perhaps, but never fully."

Anakin wasn't sure how many more revelations from Obi-Wan he could take.

Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was the perfect Jedi and Qui-Gon was the wizard of wisdom they had been lost without.

He looked back at Luke Kenobi.

Or maybe Anakin, despite being one of them, didn't understand the Jedi at all.

"What finally made Qui-Gon choose you as a Padawan?" Ahsoka asked.

"I was captured and enslaved while wandering the produce fields. I was put in a mine under the ocean, if Qui-Gon hadn't been there I would have died a slave in those mines."

Anakin felt the horror of that statement fill him as his Master said it so casually.

"I helped Qui-Gon stop the mines from being blown up by Xanatos, and after several other adventures, he finally decided to give me a chance."

"He sounds like a Bantha-butt," Luke said, sounding annoyed on Obi-Wan's behalf.

Anakin couldn't stop his startled reaction, no one spoke badly of Master Qui-Gon Jinn, not ever. He had been the first Jedi to die at Sith hands in a thousand years and he had been burned as a saint.

Obi-Wan laughed, "Oh, he certainly could be, I have never known a man so stubborn."

Anakin gaped at Obi-Wan. That statement was almost harder to swallow than him having a kid.

Obi-Wan caught his gaze with an amused smirk, "Did you really believe true perfection of anyone, Anakin?"

He shook his head, "You never told me any of this before."

"Would you have listened?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin felt as if he had been slapped in the face, because when he went to say yes, he hesitated. Would he have believed Rule Abiding Obi-Wan if he had told him as a kid that he had once been a slave too? Even briefly? That Qui-Gon, in the beginning, hadn't thought _Obi-Wan_ , of all people, was good enough?

Probably not.

It made him wonder again with new eyes what it must have felt like for Obi-Wan to watch Qui-Gon choose another Padawan before he had even been Knighted?

That must have sucked.

And then Qui-Gon had been killed in front of him and with his dying breath asked him to teach the Padawan who would have been his replacement.

Anakin suddenly found himself agreeing with Luke, Qui-Gon Jinn had been a bit of a bantha-bung-hole.

Obi-Wan was smiling at him, his eyes tired, "Well then, I think we need to report to the Council." He turned back to Cody and Rex, "Whose more ready to set off in an hour? We'll have a flight time of about two days and a night."

Cody and Rex exchanged a look. Cody gave a half nod and Rex said, "The 501st can be ready. Would it be possible to have three hours to freshen up supplies and fuel though?"  
Obi-Wan nodded, "I can give you three hours. Let everyone know that I think it will be pirates and Dooku himself, but my intelligence could be wrong."

Anakin stepped up then, "What's happening?"

Obi-Wan waved him to calmness, "I will let you know in three hours, you're coming with us."

"But-"

"Come, best not to keep the Council waiting. Besides it will by my hyde out on the line this time, not yours," he said, signalling a dismissal to the clones. "Get some well earned food and sleep, Cody, and not just for your men."

Cody soluted him, as did the others.

Luke waved goodbye to them.

Appo and Fives waved back.

As they walked into the Temple Ahsoka bubbling beside Luke who began asking her questions about the Jedi and the Temple's history, Anakin asked Obi-Wan, "How old were you when Luke was born?"

"Nineteen," he responded blandly.

The same age Anakin himself had been when he got married. Perhaps he and his Master weren't the polar opposites it had always felt like they were.

"Is Satine the mother?"

Obi-Wan nearly tripped, he gazed at Anakin with unseeing eyes. He looked... shaken. No, he looked as if he had been shot with a blaster bolt through the heart.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked, truly concerned.

But all that emotion, the grief and shock, were swallowed behind a mask of rye amusement.

It was the first time Anakin saw and understood that Obi-Wan was not unfeeling, just extremely private, hiding all his suffering away where he could deal with it alone.

Was Obi-Wan alone? He had more friends in the Order than Anakin did, but did he have confidants?

Anakin had Padme, Palpatine, and to a certain extent, Yoda. Was Mace close enough to Obi-Wan to know the secrets Obi-Wan kept?

He supposed he was going to find out soon based on Mace's reaction to Luke.

Obi-Wan finally said, his voice unbelievably sad, "No, no, Luke's mother died giving birth."

Anakin didn't have the right words, he asked instead, "Were you there?"

Obi-Wan looked away, hiding away the hurt, "She named him, but she never got to hold him. Luke was in my arms when she passed."

"You loved her."

"She was one of my dearest friends," he said, his voice softer than Anakin had ever heard it.

Anakin put his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, he startled as if he wasn't used to being touched.

He supposed he wasn't, Obi-Wan wasn't really a touchy-feely kind of guy.

Or maybe he was and he just didn't allow himself to be?

Anakin didn't know what to think anymore. He had thought he knew Obi-Wan. But all Anakin was sure of was that he knew he couldn't have personally survived Padme's death.

What had it done to Obi-Wan to lose someone that close to him? Someone who had been closer to him than Qui-Gon?

"Why didn't you raise Luke?"

Obi-Wan gazed off into the distance, "I wasn't cut out to be a father. At least at nineteen, that's what I believed."

They had reached the Council rooms and Anakin was worried, and for the first time in his life, he was worried what the Council would decide for Obi-Wan not himself.

When Obi-Wan entered the Council room his face turned ashen, as if he saw something terrible lying on the floor.

"Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan turned to him, his eyes brimming with tears and unknown horrors. Anakin reached for him, and Obi-Wan staggered back from him as if afraid of him.

But in the next moment, it was gone, and Obi-Wan straightened to his full height.

It happened so quickly Anakin couldn't be sure of what he had just witnessed.

Of the people in the room, it seemed only Yoda had caught it.

The Grandmaster was squinting at Obi-Wan as if trying to see through him.

Mace's attention was on Anakin.

Like usual.

"Obi-Wan," Mace greeted bruskly, "Why did you bring Anakin and Ahsoka to this meeting?"

Obi-Wan smiled, "I figured it would be cruel to deny them the show, my old friend."

Mace focused those dark eyes on Obi-Wan and his gaze narrowed, "Kenobi, what did you do?"

And suddenly, with the tone in Mace's voice, Anakin could believe all those stories Obi-Wan had shared with him.

Anakin wasn't the only trouble maker in the Order, and the Council knew Obi-Wan and the look Mace was giving him now said clearly that _he_ wasn't surprised by Obi-Wan starting something.

Plo sat forward, "Commander Cody said you disappeared during one of the battles, only for you to show up with the 501st."

"The will of the Force, I'm sure," Obi-Wan said.

"We have your report," Mace said, "But that doesn't wholly explain your disappearance. All of your men should have had comlinks for you to use."

Anakin wondered at that comment, had Obi-Wan lost his?

"I received a distress signal from Tatooine that required my immediate attention."

Everyone looked at Luke.

Luke who might have been wearing a loose and poor version of Jedi robes, but the minute someone said Tatooine, the boy looked like what he was.

Luke seemed uncomfortable under all the attention, and said in a voice that wasn't as sure of itself when he had introduced himself to Anakin and Ahsoka, "Hi."

"Luke, this is the Jedi High Council, High Council, this is Luke Kenobi, my son."

The thing about the Council was that they were all incredibly powerful in the Force, and if you could get an emotional reaction out of them, their presences were almost overwhelming.

Anakin and Obi-Wan braced for it, but both Luke and Ahsoka flinched back, their shoulders rounding.

Mace was sitting forward, and he was...

Well, Anakin was very glad he wasn't the one in the hot seat this time.

"What is the meaning of this Obi-Wan?" Mace asked.

"I fathered a child, his family was murdered by the Separatists in an attempt to get at him."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't have given him your last name," Allie rebuked.

"As it turns out, there are plenty of people on Tatooine with a name that is a version or near enough sounding name to Kenobi. I don't believe Luke's connection to me is known by anyone."

"Then why was he in the type of danger that you thought to leave in the middle of a battle and go rescue him?" Mace asked.

"Luke's midichlorian count is the same as Anakin's," Obi-Wan answered mildly.

Anakin gaped at first Obi-Wan and then the kid.

Qui-Gon had thought he was the Chosen One because of the stupid blood test, but if there were two people who had the same count, did that mean the prophecy was complete bantha-shit?

"How long have you been aware of his relation to you?" Ki-Adi asked.

"Since his birth, nineteen years ago," Obi-Wan answered.

"And the woman?" Shaak Ti asked.

"She died," Obi-Wan said.

"Beyond your physical relations to this woman, were you committed?" Gallia asked.

Anakin winced, he never wanted to tell the Council about himself and Padme, the way they spoke of marriage made it sound dirty.

"We were friends."

"But you got her with child," Gallia pressed.

"I didn't know the child was mine until she was dying. I gave Luke to his Aunt and Uncle."

"Did you not think to bring the child to the Temple?" Mace asked, "You know this is far from the first time this has happened, even in recent years."

That was news to Anakin.

Obi-Wan nodded, "I asked, more than once over the years, but I respected his guardians' choices. They did not want him to become a Jedi."

"Then why have you brought a nineteen year old before us now?" Mace asked, sounding like he already knew where this was going.

"Because Luke has an innate connection to the Force."

"Being able to float objects and having advanced reflexes does not a Jedi make," Mace said, almost gently, as if he was trying to reason with Obi-Wan.

"What Luke has is enough that if the Sith ever got a hold of him, we would be in trouble."

Luke straightened, "I am not going to become a Sith."

Obi-Wan sighed, looking at Luke, "Mental and physical torture could push you toward the Dark against your will. Without any training, you would be defenceless. Being a Force sensitive can be as much a blessing as a curse. And you are simply too powerful to be interacting with other Force sensitives and not draw attention. Which either means you go back into hiding or you train."

Anakin had the oddest feeling that Obi-Wan was trying to explain more to Luke than he was saying aloud.

"Too old, he is," Yoda said.

Anakin almost rolled his eyes.

Obi-Wan, unexpectedly, _did_ roll his eyes, "The Jedi were not always initiated at such a young ages and the Force flows through family lines. We did not always shun that."

"And turn to the Dark, many did."

"Dooku was one of ours, he was _your_ Padawan, Yoda. Xanatos, Bruck, Pong Krell, Barriss Offee, they were all ours. Even Asajj Ventress, trained outside the Temple but still by one of our Jedi Masters at the appropriate age, turned. If you refuse to accept older inaties, you do so out of fear and superstition."

 _Barriss?_ Anakin wondered, sharing a glance with Ahsoka. Barriss's Master was currently absent and no one else seemed to catch it.

Yoda's argument was pretty succinct, "No."

Obi-Wan's lips turned upward in an approximation of a smile, "Luke will either be my next Padawan, or I will leave the Order and train him anyway."

The silence in the room was thunderous.

Anakin could only stare at Obi-Wan.

Ahsoka was frowning at him in confusion.

And Luke looked, out of his depth, but not overly concerned. Obi-Wan must have warned him.

Mace sat frozen, staring at Obi-Wan as if he had never seen him before, "You are a Jedi Master on the High Council and a General of the Republic Army. You cannot just leave."

Obi-Wan smiled, "That's an interesting theory, would you like to test it?"

Mace's face shut down and he stood, "Enough games, Obi-Wan. You will not leave."

"I will if you make me."

"We need you."

"I think you can lose this war well enough on your own."

Anakin frowned, "We aren't losing, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan looked at him, his blue eyes clear, "We are fighting a war to force democracy on people who don't want to be a part of political corruption. We failed the moment we agreed to go to war for the Senate. The Jedi lost, the moment we betrayed our mandate and we betrayed our troops by taking on a bought army with individuals given no choice in their fate."

"Without those individuals you and Anakin would have died on Geniousis," Mace shot back.

"And how many more Jedi did we lose that day?" Obi-Wan asked, "How many of our people, Jedi and clone alike have we lost."

"It's war, Obi-Wan," Mace said, gesturing with his hands.

"Yes, and we are not the Jedi of Old, we weren't trained to handle war on a galactic level, we don't hold any offices of state, we are not lords, we are puppets to the Senate, to the Chancellor."

Anakin realized that Obi-Wan had been holding a lot back over the year, and Luke's arrival had been the tipping point.

Because what Obi-Wan was giving voice to was more than taking on Padawan and secret son.

"Obi-Wan," Mace sighed, "Power corrupts, the problems that-"

"We are going to die," Obi-Wan said, "There aren't enough Jedi, we are too vulnerable, the Republic is crumbling from within and we are losing _everything_ that makes us who we are!"

Mace got in his face. Anakin had never seen Obi-Wan challenge another Council Member like this. Obi-Wan glared up at Mace who glowered down at him.

"What of us have we lost, Obi-Wan?"

"The galaxy fears us, Mace. Not the wicked and the superstitious, but friend, youngling, and innocent. War is making monsters of us all."

Mace stepped back with a heavy sigh, "What would you have us do instead?"

"Release the clones from the draft. Most will stay but it is slavery to hold them to service when it was not their choice to become who they are."

"We cannot afford to lose more men."

"We cannot afford to lose sight of justice. It was the Republic who signed the check, whether Sifo-Dyas was involved or not does not matter, it was the Senate who bought them and we who allowed it. If we are the peacemakers, then we must hold the Republic in as much account as the Separatists. It is too late to back out of this war, but it is not too late to push our leaders to govern."

Shaak Ti nodded, "He's right."

"We don't have the resources to do this," Saesee Tiin said.

"We do if we, the Council, become more involved in the Senate," Kit Fisto said.

"Dangerous path to walk, this is," Yoda said.

"You're fighting a galactic war and you're afraid of politics?" Luke asked.

Everyone turned to him.

Yoda hummed, "Brave you are, hmmm, brave, because know the dangers you do not, young one."

Luke looked at him, and there was something on his face, as if he had seen the future and thought Yoda was being ridiculous.

Some people underestimated Yoda, but few Anakin could ever remember giving the Grandmaster that flavour of a look.

Mace was looking between the two Kenobi's and with another sigh, he sat back in his chair and said, "I am in favour of Luke Kenobi joining the Order as Obi-Wan's Padawan if it means Obi-Wan stays with us."

"I agree," Plo said.

"And I," Kit said.

The rest folded as well, but all voiced some disapproval. When it finally got to Yoda, the Grandmaster sighed, "Disagree, I do, but outvoted I have been."

He pointed a clawed finger at Luke, "Your mind I see, young Kenobi, reckless are you, in the present, you are not, patience you have not."

"He can learn patience," Obi-Wan said.

Yoda hurmphed, then glared at Obi-Wan, "Bring Skywalker and Tano here to just see the show, you did not."

"I heard a rumour while I was on Tatooine. Zygerrian slavers discussing a business deal with the Separatists that will bring Torgutas to the market. I believe the Kiros Colony is going to be attacked, if it isn't already."

"Kiros is not apart of the Republic," Saesee Tiin said.

Shaak Ti and Ahsoka glared at the Council Member and Plo Koon sighed. "Obi-Wan is among the youngest of us, yet he has seen our faults, our own corruptions. I agree that we must rescind the draft on the clones, they must be allowed agency. As for Kiros, since the start of this war, and perhaps longer, the Jedi have served only those with the expectation that we garner something in return. This is wrong. We must be better than this."

Mace bowed his head, "Or we have already lost."

Anakin was speechless, could the Jedi Order really change?

Where the Council not as wedded to their traditions as he had always believed?

"Go," Yoda said, "help Kiros you four must. May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan bowed, "And with you, Masters."

Then Obi-Wan turned and walked out at clipped pace leaving Anakin, Ahsoka, and Luke to hurry after him.

If Anakin didn't know better, he would have said that Obi-Wan was eager to be gone, away from the Council.

Away from the Temple.

What was happening to his old Master and lifelong friend?

* * *

AN: Surprise! Another chapter! Next update is likely to be Significant Brian Damage, but I had to start this project as it was begging to be written. Thoughts, ideas, reactions, will-o-wisps, or feedback, pretty please?


	3. Aggressive ReConnaissance

AN: I know Echo was lost in season 3 but let's say he makes it with everyone else in the 501st aside from Cutup and Driodbait, RIP.

Chapter 3 - Aggressive ReConnaissance

Ben had been on the run for nearly two decades. Despite his being a hermit, there was plenty of trouble for him to get involved in over the years on Tatooine.

Learning true stealth, had been something Qui-Gon's ghost had taken great relish in reteaching him while he weaved through crowds in Mos Eisley.

Mos Eisley being one of his favourite cities in the galaxy because it allowed him some freedom from the tedium. Whether it be avoiding imperials, arguing with criminals while street children robbed them blind, or starting bar fights that he personally never took part in despite his possibly starting them.

Yes, he was a Jedi and thus supposed to be a peacemaker.

But it was Tatooine, it was a frontier on the skirts of the galaxy, the only stop on a hyperlane that shot straight to the Core.

When things went 'peacefully' in Mos Eisley, it meant that crime went unhindered.

It was a lesson to learn, and in hindsight, it was what he had been doing for most of his life, what Qui-Gon had taught him to do most of his life.

Rock the boat to wake the monsters beneath, because hidden they were like a bone disease eating away one's structure from the inside until everything collapsed.

This was a long way of saying, thinking, that getting back to the 501st without Anakin, Ahsoka, or Luke with him was fairly easy.

It had the added bonus of irritating the hell out of Anakin. No, he didn't want revenge on his old Padawan or to make him miserable, but to have him thrown off his routine?

Absolutely.

There was also the fact that Ben couldn't stand to be near the Temple. He had thought it would be a joy to be back here.

Coruscant was his home.

Or it had been.

But he could only see it through a film of nightmares and horrors now.

He needed to find a way to make his rooms on the 501st and 212th Star Destroyers his permanent spaces because he _knew_ he wouldn't be able to make it through a night in the Temple.

He would not sleep in a tomb, no matter how welcoming it seemed.

Oddly, he would have preferred his exile, the home he had made for himself on the edge's of Luke's life on Tatooine to his childhood home. That was not something he had predicted.

Ben went straight to the loading platforms because he knew it was the last place Anakin would look for him. They trusted their men to get done what needed to be done.

Which was why he was sure his presence wasn't wholly welcome when he was finally spotted.

"Sir," Jesse said, voice stiff, "We should be ready to go in another hour."

Ben was certain he just shaved off an hour because the troops pushing boxes began to speed up.

Ben waved it away, "I'm hiding from Anakin, you still have another two hours. Anything I can do to assist?"

Jesse blinked at him, and for a man who had tattooed his face and head with an army symbol, his confusion was almost humorous in contrast to his appearance.

"Sir, we're just-"

Ben plucked Jesse's datapad out of his hands, scanning the details before handing it back to him, and he said, "Would you mind finding Fives and Appo and tell them I want them to put Luke through your standard cadet training?"

Jesse stared at him, glancing down at his datapad then back at the men who had paused to try and overhear the conversation.

"Feel free to delicate, or com them, I am going to help Hevy and Hardcase move the fuel tanks," Ben said before Jesse could come up with a coherent response.

Generals didn't help move things unless they were on a foreign planet with a significant number of injured, and being pressed for time.

Hevy and Hardcase greeted him with wide-eyed Sirs. It took them a few minutes before they relaxed enough to realize he wasn't rushing them, and soon enough, everyone forgot Ben was even there.

Another trick he had learned on Tatooine, the art of folding yourself away, a mind trick of sorts, but one that you had to convince yourself of.

Convince yourself that you were simply a bystander and not an agent, that you were nobody and you belonged only because you were nothing more than the landscape of the day to day.

When Jesse went back to shouting orders, his eyes slid over Ben. Hevy and Hardcase began speaking between themselves, only remembering Ben long enough when they needed extra help stabilizing a barrel.

Ben became no one, no rank, no Jedi, nothing, just a speck of dust in the galaxy.

It was who he had learned to be.

The manual labour worked off some of the tension being in the Temple had caused him.

When they jumped into lightspeed, Ben climbed up on some crates as the men went back to their quarters and stations. He was left in plain view yet completely invisible.

"Qui-Gon," finally alone, he asked aloud, "Did you travel with Luke and I? Can you hear me?"

There was no answer.

Ben lost himself in meditation, going over the timeline of the war and searching for Qui-Gon in the Force.

He was unable to find his Old Master. He didn't know if that was the will of the Force or Qui-Gon himself not having learned how to materialize yet.

* * *

Appo was pretty sure the message reiterated to him had been muddled in translation.

"What do you mean he's hiding from Skywalker?" he had asked.

Only for his brother to shrug, "General Kenobi assigned you and Fives to put Padawan Luke through standard cadet training."

Appo and Fives had exchanged a look.

They liked Luke, and honestly, they didn't have much else to do other than tend to their own training and weapons until they arrived in Kiros.

But wasn't it weird that General Kenobi wanted his son to go through mundane trooper training rather than Jedi training?

But they had their orders.

Finding Luke was another matter. He was with General Skywalker who was looking for General Kenobi who still didn't have a com of his own and no one was telling Skywalker where Kenobi was.

To be fair, even Appo didn't know where the other General was, but it was such a strange admittance for General Kenobi to say explicitly he was hiding from his old Padawan that no one wanted to get involved.

"Sir, General Kenobi gave us standing orders to put Padawan Kenobi through training," Appo said to his General.

Skywalker, who had just been arguing with Boomer, turned on him.

Luke popped around the bigger man's shoulders with an excited, "Sweet!"

Fives chuckled, "Come on, shiny, we've some work to do."

Luke almost skipped to them.

For the impressive flying and shooting the boy could do, Appo was still caught off guard by how light hearted General Kenobi's son was.

It was as if someone had taken a younger version of the 212th's General and washed away all the years of experience, Jedi monkishness, sorrow, and hardship, leaving just the gentle spirit behind.

Skywalker crossed his arms, "Do either of you know where Obi-Wan is?"

"No, Sir," both Appo and Fives said together.

Skywalker sighed, "Come on, Ahsoka, you and I might as well do some training ourselves."

Tano waved to Luke. "Have fun with the ARC's!" she said as she followed her impatient Jedi Master around the corner to the next corridor.

"What's an ARC?" Luke asked him and Fives.

Appo smirked, "ARC trooper is an Advanced Recon Commando trooper."

"We're the baddest of the bad," Fives said with cheek.

Luke's eyes widened, "That's amazing."

Appo couldn't help but smile, Luke was Kenobi's son and might one day be a Jedi, but for now he was just a semi-ordinary cadet with semi-extraordinary flying skills.

Honestly, he thought Luke might give General Skywalker a run for his credits in the skies, but his ground skills…

"You may not think it's so 'amazing' after a few hours of training," Appo warned him.

Luke just grinned, "I wanted to join the military long before I knew my dad was a General."

"What did you think your dad was?" Fives asked as they walked to the training rooms.

"My Uncle told me he was spicer-trader, I'm sorry, I mean he strongly implied it."

Fives snorted, "An illicit affair I would believe of General Kenobi, but not illegal trade."

"I thought Ben was just an old hermit," Luke said, "We called him Crazy Ben or Old Ben."

Appo couldn't help but shake his head, "He's one of the most decorated officers in the Republic."

Luke looked sad, "I wish my Uncle hadn't hated him."

Appo couldn't really wrap his head around someone hating Kenobi but clapped the boy on the back, "Well, you're here now and we have time to make up for."

Fives grinned down at the shorter man, "And we might not have fancy lightsabers but-"

"But I know more about blasters anyway," Luke interrupted, "and I've been dying to ask you what you're carrying. What's the range on your rifles?"

And just like that, Luke became one of them.

Once they got him to the range, Appo couldn't tell what was Jedi instinct or what was living on a planet like Tatooine.

But the kid was a talented pilot and had a spectacular shot once he adjusted to each weapon they introduced him to. It wasn't until they got him on the training mats for basic self-defence and hand to hand combat that his civiness shone through badly.

Yet Appo had to hand it to Luke, he got up every time he got knocked down and never got frustrated with them. Occionsonal he got frustrated with himself if he repeated mistakes but he never back talked to them. He did rather well when one considered the true disadvantages he had against them, his lack of training, muscle mass, and size.

He was petite and Appo hoped that Ahsoka was a part of his Jedi training because he needed to learn better flexibility and speed. Luke wasn't going to be able to use superior strength against many of his opponents.

After nearly five hours of Appo and Fives taking turns couching Luke through the repetitive motions, Appo finally called it. "Alright, I think we can call it a night."

Luke was shaking but his face was all stubbornness, "I can keep going, and neither of you have even worked up a sweat."

"Yes, but as we might need you in the fight tomorrow, rest would do everyone well, don't you think?" a kind voice said from beside them.

Appo nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to see General Kenobi, when the blazes had he shown up?

Luke didn't seem at all surprised to see him. "Where and what is Kiros? I've never heard of it before."

General Kenobi motioned for him to sit on one of the benches and he poured his son a cup of mineral water from one of the dispensers.

To say Luke sat, would deprive one the image of the teenager's legs giving out and his puddling onto the bench seat.

"Told you he would be here!" Commander Tano's voice said as she, General Skywalker, Captain Rex, and Lieutenant Jesse entered the room.

General Skywalker marched over to them and he asked General Kenobi without preamble, "Where the hell have you been?"

"I've been meditating, you should try it sometime. It soothes the spirit," Kenobi said with a wry smile.

Skywalker glowered at him.

Tano asked, "Luke! The ARC's didn't kill you, congratulations."

"They could have," Luke muttered, taking another sip from his water, his arms were shaking a bit having overexerted some of his muscles.

General Kenobi smiled, "Of course they could have, but then our troops could take on fully seasoned Jedi Knights. Don't feel badly you that you weren't able to accomplish all that you wished, we all must start somewhere. Besides, you were still standing when I came into the room."

Fives snorted, "None of us could take out a Jedi Knight."

Kenobi turned a smile on Fives, but Appo noted that his blue eyes were greyer than normal as he spoke, "Jango Fett strangled ten fully armed Jedi Knights to death with his bare hands. You underestimate your potential."

Appo felt himself and his brothers come to attention. That was such a morbid thing for the General to say, they would never hurt the Jedi.

And Jango Fett was…

Appo remembered him. The way he would strut around Kimono like they were all plants in the garden he was growing, yet his _son_ Bobo Fett was free from the routines and the _Grand_ _Schedule_ the rest of them were tied to. Appo had nothing against Bobo, but Jango…

A father who wasn't a father, a brother who wasn't a brother, a man they could have been but never would be. Jango was just a genetic donor they were all bound to yet had no tangible connection to.

Bobo Fett was a Mandalorian, while the rest of them were just clones.

Just expendables.

Skywalker was talking to Kenobi, lecturing the older man about not having a com, but those strangely grey-blue eyes had never left Appo's face.

Appo glanced away, not sure he had controlled his expression well enough to keep the ire he was feeling from it. Ire at Jango and frustrated that General Kenobi would suggest they would be Jedi Killers like that arrogant and self-centred bounty hunter.

"Alright, alright, Anakin, I won't forget my com again," General Kenobi said, cutting off Skywalker's rant.

A rant that probably had more to do with Kenobi 'hiding' from him than the com issue.

"Why weren't you with Luke? You just left him," Skywalker snapped.

Kenobi laughed, "Hardly. He was with you and Ahsoka."

"Why are you having Appo and Fives train him instead of doing it yourself?"

"Appo and Fives have more experience training younglings and cadets than I do, Anakin. I've only trained you before, and by the time you were nineteen you were quite self-sufficient," General Kenobi said reasonably.

Appo's frustration with him washed away, and he was suddenly very pleased to have their training recognized off of Kamino. The Jedi trained their own, but Luke was a bit of an anomaly.

"This type of training isn't going to help him use a lightsaber."

"Anakin, at this point in his training, he's more likely to hurt himself with a lightsaber, and Force forbid it, but if Ventress, Dooku, Maul, or Savage come across him with sabers drawn then he will die. I would rather him train with a blaster so he has some form of defence instead of attracting a fight he has no capability of winning."

Skywalker's eyes narrowed, "Darth Maul is dead."

General Kenobi sighed, "No, I saw him Tatooine. Apparently bisecting a Sith in half isn't enough." His gaze went distant, and he said quietly, "Even fire doesn't do it."

"Why didn't you tell the Council this!?" Skywalker exploded.

"I don't know where he is currently."

"Damnit, Obi-Wan, what in the karking hells has gotten into you? This is huge!"

"So is the fate of the Kiros colonists."

Skywalker ground his teeth as the rest of them watched, Appo's brothers slowly gathering around, men who had been doing final drills before showering and going to bed.

The two Padawans were completely silent.

Kenobi broke the tension suddenly, "Captain Rex, would you care to spar?"

A zing of excitement went throughout the room.

Rex looked startled, "Sir?"

The Jedi did not train with the clones. Appo had never heard even a whisper of a Jedi sparing with any troop.

"Hand to hand, minimal Force tricks. I can't turn it off completely but I can restrain myself from pulling on the Force for extra speed and strength," General Kenobi said as if he wasn't offering Rex a huge compliment by treating him as if he was worthy to spare with.

Rex hesitated, and Appo didn't blame him, if it had been General Skywalker offering it might have been more easy to go along with, he was so different from the other Jedi. Yet despite their General being the bigger man who would have thrown a harder punch, General Kenobi was a Jedi _Master_.

"Come now, Rex," General Kenobi said lightly, "I can teach you a trick or two, I dare say I know a bit more about hand to hand combat than Lama Su."

Appo had to fight not to grin.

Rex hid a smile by taking off his blasters and passing them and his helmet to Jesse.

Appo wasn't sure who had called them, but the training room was filling up with brothers.

The spare started somewhat markedly. The General stood directly across from him two meters away and bowed. Rex bowed back, when normally when they sparred each other it was more of a Set-Go affair.

Neither jumped the other, instead they circled each other on the mats in the ring that the 501st had made for them with the press of armoured shoulder to armoured shoulder. The only ones not crowded were Skywalker and Tano.

General Skywalker looked both frustrated and interested, his expressive face not hiding the turbulent of emotions. Beside Appo, Tano and Luke were watching with rapt attention.

Rex made the first move, and the General evaded him like a dancer. Kenobi weaved through Rex's offences and Kenobi scoffed, "Captain, are you afraid you'll break me?"

Rex quit holding back then, and Kenobi was no longer able to simply dance out of the way.

The room was so attentive, so quiet, that the sound of their blows as Kenobi redirected, caught, and blocked each one.

It was impressive as hell. Rex was speed and strength and the best of the best.

Kenobi was a kriffing wizard, and he moved like water given life.

Rex moved with springs in his feet, his body in constant motion, yet Kenobi was swifter still, his feet moving double time, and he used his legs more.

Appo couldn't have picked out a single flaw in any of Rex's stances or motions, but Kenobi had sharper senses, stepping into the millisecond openings Rex left.

Kenobi fainted a punch and the moment Rex blocked, Kenobi had his instep causing Rex to stagger back as he dodged what would have been a knee to the gut.

"You're over thinking yourself, Captain," Kenobi smirked, "unless blasters are your training preference, in which case, my apologies for putting you at a disadvantage."

Emotion flickered across Rex's face, but the Captain was too good to charge. The next punch he threw clipped Kenobi's shoulder as twisted to absorb and diffuse the impact.

General Skywalker crossed his arms, "And that's one of the few things Obi-Wan has in common with Count Dooku."

"What?" Tano asked, eyes never leaving the spare.

"They will both taunt you verbally in a fight. With body language and facial expression as well, Obi-Wan will engage you in a mental duel as much a physical one. As his opponent is trying to get the upper hand, Obi-Wan will wait you out, learning your every weakness while you wear yourself out emotionally and physically."

Appo listened and watched what his General was saying play out between Kenobi and Rex.

"Captain Rex, you're disappointing me, I thought you would be more audacious."

Appo winced, and Rex's next punch did catch General Kenobi in the gut.

Which is when the duel turned to a level of speed and violence that Appo had never seen before. He didn't know that he or any of his brothers could move like that, and when Kenobi flipped in the air, Appo came to a startling realization.

The General was using the Force to keep up with Captain Rex.

General Kenobi got thrown across the mats only to roll unharmed to his feet, leaving the two facing each other.

Appo was so invested he felt as if he could hear Rex's heartbeat as he stood at the ready.

"Rex," Kenobi chided.

Rex adjusted his feet a mere fraction to a more stable position, again not something Appo would have caught, and then Kenobi launched himself at the Captain.

It was clear that out of the two that Kenobi was the better and more experienced at hand to hand, and as this was a training exercise, Kenobi would pause every now and then to give Rex a correction or pointer.

It was the first time Appo knew of in the history of their lives that a clone had been trained by one of their Jedi, General Shaak Ti overseeing their training notwithstanding.

But what was also made clear, was that Rex was skilled enough that had it been a real fight, he might have been able to do real damage. Especially against a Jedi like Kenobi who was known to hold back from killing blows during a real fight.

The 'duel' ended with Kenobi showing Rex how to do a throw, which resulted in the General being thrown down on his back on the mats.

Rex offered him a hand up, and Kenobi took the proffered hand and rose gracefully to his feet with a smile. Both were a little breathless, their eyes bright from the sheer fun of stretching their abilities.

General Kenobi clapped Rex on the back, "Well done, Rex, well done."

Rex grinned, "You are a bastard, Sir."

Appo was shocked by the remark, it was something they would say to a brother but not to a Jedi. Rex realized that a moment late, horror crossing his expression at his gaff.

Kenobi, however, laughed, "A true fight is about more than skill. You kept your focus well, Commander."

Rex's eyes widened.

General Skywalker gave Kenobi a look, "Honestly, Obi-Wan what has gotten into you? You're being more bull headed than me."

"Granting rank is one of the few good things about being on the Council. Do you think Rex doesn't deserve the title?" General Kenobi challenged.

Appo looked between the three, and he was almost certain Rex was holding his breath.

General Skywalker said, "Of course, he deserves it. He might be younger than Cody but he's just as skilled and he understands this war better than Ahsoka does, no offence Padawan."

Tano grinned at him and Rex, "None taken, because I agree."

Rex looked a bit overwhelmed from all the praise. Typically officers only advanced after surviving something terrible or out of necessity to take over when someone had died. To be granted rank solely on merit without any of their brothers having to die was a welcome change of pace.

"Ahsoka thinks I'm being reasonable. So what's the problem?" General Kenobi asked.

"The problem is you're not acting like yourself."

General Kenobi shrugged, "After you have children maybe you'll understand."

"Understand what?"

He just shook his head, "That's it is not about you. Being responsible for someone else... it gives a new perspective to things."

"I'm responsible for Ahsoka," he countered.

Commander Tano mock glared at her Jedi Master.

"She's a warrior," General Kenobi countered.

"So will Luke be, someday soon. And you said you've known him for years."

"True, but if Maul had found him before I got there, he would have been dead or worse."

"Did you clash sabers with Maul?" Skywalker asked.

"I don't wish to discuss it."

"Obi-Wan-"

"Enough, Anakin, everyone needs to get some sleep, including me. Appo can Luke stay in the barracks?"

"Of course, Sir," Appo said at once, "We have the room but the officer quar-"

"The barracks will be fine," he motioned to everyone packed into the room, "that was an order, gentlemen, go rest." He winked at his son, "Goodnight Luke, you did well today."

"Goodnight, Ben," Luke said with a pleased grin.

General Kenobi left, Skywalker and Tano following behind him.

Luke stood close to Appo's side but Appo wanted to congratulate Rex. Someone gave the all clear that the Generals were out of ear shot and a cheer went up around the room.

Rex was swarmed by brothers, slapping him on the back praising him, begging him for details and demonstrations of some of the moves General Kenobi had just taught him.

Celebrating was something they typically did after missions, and there was both an air of worry that they were entering battle tomorrow but… hope, joy.

Good news like this had been so rare.

"You kept up with General Kenobi," Appo said his own bit of praise, pulling Rex into a one armed hug.

Rex was smiling as Hardcase said, "Commander Rex, such a nice ring to it."

Luke was watching them all with big eyes and an even bigger smile, obviously happy for them.

Fives swung an arm around Luke's shoulder, "Hang in there, little Kenobi, you're one of us now."

Luke grinned, and said, "Congratulations, Commander Rex, I look forward to serving you."

Appo felt warmth enter his heart, the Kenobi's were good people.

* * *

Ben hadn't meant to change Rex's rank, but once he said it aloud he had felt a soft nudge from the Force.

Rex had deserved the rank of Commander long before he got it. Few men in the GAR were as adaptive and clever as Rex.

Ben had also been centring himself in the present. The clones were not his enemies, even if Palpatine had a kill switch that could change that at any point.

And sparing with someone for the first time in decades had felt wonderful. As much as he had been teaching Rex, he had been reacquainting himself with this younger body as well.

It was good to be young again.

Anakin was smart enough to catch onto his personality changes, but Ben couldn't pretend to be who he had been, Anakin was just going to have to adjust.

Ben was proud of Luke though, Appo and Fives seemed to like him, which was praise enough but Ben had seen the last half an hour of Luke's training. Luke had stuck it out with admiral determination and focus.

Luke reminded him so much of Anakin when he was little.

That thought helped him get real sleep that night.

* * *

Anakin wasn't happy with Obi-Wan but he wasn't wholly upset with the new way he was taking charge.

They were about an hour from coming out of hyperspace and Obi-Wan had ordered every pilot onboard to their ship.

The hope being that they got there before the Separatists could use the Kiros people as hostages.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said as they were checking their maps, "I want you, Ahsoka, and Echo in an ARC-170."

Anakin raised his brows, "My ship is fine, and the three of us as individual-"

"I want you to hit the Separatists with as much fire power as we possibly can. They don't know we are coming, the Kiros people haven't even sent out a distress signal yet. I want the Zygerria ship or ships captured and everything else destroyed. Putting you in an ARC-170 is a good way to achieve that."

Anakin nodded, secretly having always wanted to fly one but they weren't the models designed for the Jedi.

Obi-Wan turned to Luke, "I want you piloting an ARC-170 as well, Appo can be copilot and Fives you will be their rear gunner."

Appo nodded, "Yes, Sir."

It amazed Anakin how quickly the clones seemed to accept Luke as one of their own, but then Obi-Wan seemed to want him trained more as a trooper than a Jedi.

And the boy's achievements on and above Umbara had been rather remarkable.

"Anything else?"

"If you spot Dooku, aim to kill."

Anakin felt his eyes widen.

Obi-Wan's smile was grim, "The information we learn from his capture won't be as useful as us taking the head off the Separatist cause."

Anakin nodded, "I agree," _though I'm surprised you do,_ he added silently, "Let's go Ahsoka, we'll need time to familiarize ourselves with the Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighter."

"I like this ship already," Ahsoka said, Echo, Fives, Appo and Luke following them.

Appo talked them through the nitty gritty of the ship, Obi-Wan was staying behind on the main ship to see the map and give commands with Rex.

Anakin felt a thrill as they came out of hyperspace and he piloted the ship out into space, the stars glinting near and far around them. He glanced out his side panel to see Luke direct his own ARC-170 out with as much ease.

Who would have thought Obi-Wan's son would be such a natural flyer?

As they came around their Star Destroyer, framing it on either side, they found that either they were on the wrong side of the planet or they had beaten the Separatists here.

Obi-Wan's voice came over the headset, "We've arrived early, be at the ready and stay out of the way of the primary cannons. Let us get the first volley in before you press the advantage."

"Copy that, Sir," echoed across the open frequency.

Anakin wanted to ask Obi-Wan again, how he was so sure the Separatists would be here, when a small Separatist fleet came out of hyperspace perilously close to their ambush.

No one hit each other, but it was a near thing.

Their Star Destroyer got in a barrage of shots, Obi-Wan clearly commanding them to hit them with everything they had.

The Separatists main ship was on fire, their own drone fighters yet to activate when they pressed their advantage.

Anakin laughed, he couldn't help it, he loved flying and the ARC-170s quickly became one of his favourite models even if it required a copilot. The thing was an aggressive tank, that wasn't quite as agile as his own fighter yet it made up for that with nearly triple the fire power.

Ahsoka's rear aim was spectacular and Echo seemed to adjust to Anakin's tactics before they were fully formed in his head.

Only one other team was matching them for shear destruction as they whirled around the Separatist bots and ships.

Luke Kenobi was the type of pilot that would break records, the type of pilot that Anakin would love to podrace.

Together Anakin and Luke led the charge against the Separatists, and when one small Separatist ship broke away from the assault and launched into hyperspace, Anakin knew that Dooku had gotten away.

But at least neither the slavers nor the Sith ever set a metallic toe on Ahsoka's home world.

* * *

"Jedi!" the Zygerria hissed at him. They had completely trashed the male's ship and pulled it on board. Which was the only thing they salvaged from Dooku's fleet. The man himself had abandoned-ship and unfortunately managed to escape the ambush.

Ben smiled, "Slaver."

"My people will have revenge on the Jedi!" the Zygerria male raged within his cell, his feet and hands shackled behind him. "For a thousand years our people supplied slaves to the galaxy, we prospered, our customs prospered! And then the Jedi came along, but we have risen again and Zygerria will see the end of the Jedi!"

Ben smoothed his face into a thoughtful expression, "Is that a declaration?"

The Zygerria male's bravado faltered, his cat ears turning down, "What?"

"A declaration of war," Ben repeated, glancing at Anakin, "didn't that sound like a declaration of war to you?"

"Wait," the male said, his black rimmed irises going huge, "I'm not-"

"Why I think it was, Obi-Wan. Should we inform the Senate?"

Ben nodded, "And the Jedi Council, seeing as it was a personal attack against the Order. In years past we might have risen above such minor declarations, but the times being what they are…" he shook his sadly with a heavy sigh, "But if it is a war they want, who are we to deny them?"

The Zygerria male looked panicked now, "No, wait a moment, I mean- What are you planning!?"

Anakin grinned, and it was not a kind expression, as he leaned close to the cell and the slavers' scared face, "Aggressive repercussions."

It might have been wise for Ben to curb Anakin's wrath towards these people, but Ben had watched slaver grow more rampant in the galaxy throughout the decades.

He wasn't going to do nothing anymore.

Anakin wasn't the only who had been freed from a life bound to Tatooine.

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AN: I'm following the Clone Wars episodes, but if there is anything you want to see please let me know. Thoughts, ideas, reactions, and feedback are all very welcome :D


	4. Limits

AuthorNote: I did utilize a lot of small things in this chapter from people's comments and discussions I've had. Though I won't span my AN with listing usernames, you know who you are, and I thank you for the inspiration. And yes, I borrow directly from cannon script with some alterations.

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 **WARNING:** Yeah, I usually try avoiding angst despite my loving drama grene, but Obi-Wan has PTSD and Anakin is angst embodied, which again, is why I have been avoiding making him a main character. But here we are, sigh, you were warned.

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Chapter 4 - Limits

Ben knew that he couldn't run from Anakin forever. Mainly, because if he hoped to help Anakin, he needed to be there.

Their base strategy had been decided and they were going to reconvene before invading. Even if they came up on the Zygerrian's radars after exiting hyperspace, it was still unlikely that the Zygerria would assume they were about to be under siege.

Ben let himself breathe in and exhale, before knocking on Anakin's door.

Anakin opened his door a moment later, not looking entirely happy, "Obi-Wan, what do you want?"

Ben raised a brow and Anakin, having been his Padawan, let him pass without a word.

This ship, belonging to the 501st, had some of Anakin's personal belongings. Probably more than his room at the Temple had, but likely less than Padme's apartment had. There were unfinished bits of droids and ship parts.

Seeing them made Ben smile, and he levitated the 'projects' with great care onto the work desk to clear a seat for himself.

He wondered if Vader had abandoned working on his ships.

Probably. The Emperor wouldn't have been pleased if his most fearsome enforcer showed up in a ship that sputtered out on landing.

Ben had focused on Anakin, trying to shove away the memory of one of the last times he had borrowed one of his ships to rescue Satine, and subsequently failed.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked, sounding truly confused, "Really, what's wrong? You've hardly talked to me at all since you came back with Luke."

Ben sighed, and motioned for him to sit on his own bunk, "I would like to talk to you now."

Anakin sat, folding his arms like he had done all his life. Anakin was a big man, but the gesture belonged to the little boy Ben had first met all those ages ago.

"Then talk."

There had been time for this the last time, they had run head long into danger and Ben had gone along with it rather than be left behind. Because Anakin had made it clear that he had been going in with or without help.

Ahsoka had ended up being caged and he had ended up whipped within an inch of his life, tortured, and dropped in a workers camp underground as he had been on Bandomeer.

He had those scars for the rest of his life.

He no longer had those scars, and he was willing to risk his sanity to kill the slavers rather than go through that again. He only hoped that the enslaved people thought the cost was worth the blood price.

Ben leaned back, careful to keep his body language easy, approachable. Force help him, Anakin looked so young to his eyes now. They had always been brothers, his little brother, but Anakin no longer knew the man Ben had become.

The Crazy Ben who had aged beyond his years.

_Were they strangers now?_

"Where were you and your mother first sold?" Ben asked.

Anakin startled, "You want to talk about my mother? You never want to talk about her. You've berated me my entire life for mentioning her, but _now_ that's what you want to talk about? Let's talk about your family, let's talk about your girlfriend, who was she?"

Ben almost smiled at the deflection, but he kept his voice even as he returned, "The Council warned me to try and distance you from your mother. They wanted me to get you to forget about her."

Anakin's expression twisted, "Do you realize how awful that sounds? Or are you truly that heartless?"

Ben sighed, "I do now, but taking you as my Padawan was disagreeing with the Council more than I was comfortable with.

"And I never knew my mother. I don't know why she gave me up. I don't know if they were sad to give me up, I don't know if I have siblings or grandparents or anything. All I have from my parents is my life and my name. And whatever my life could have been, I am content with the choice my guardians made for me. The Jedi truly became my family, and I was blessed with more brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles than most people in the galaxy will ever know."

Anakin frowned at him, "I never fit in that well, and I will _never_ forget my mother."

Ben nodded, "And it was stupid of me to even think I could try and part you from your memories of her. Your love for her and her love for you makes you who you are. That is nothing to be ashamed of."

"But you tried."

"I tried to get you to let her go. Her life was her own, her path and yours parted; that was her choice."

Anakin leaned forward, anger sparkling in his eyes, "It was _my_ choice to leave her."

Ben shook his head, "No, Anakin, it was her choice. You were a child, old enough to remember, old enough to get into a forsaken amount of trouble, such as podracing and getting swept into saving an entire planet, but you were still a child."

"She asked me, Qui-Gon asked me, I _left_ her."

"Anakin, she let you go. To go from a slave to a Jedi… that is more than most people would dream to wish for. Even if you never became a Knight, you would have been provided for. You had so much more potential with the Jedi than the years it would have taken you to get off of Tatooine to even begin a life. She made that choice because she did what great mothers do, she wanted the best for you. She loved you so much that she was willing to let you go."

Anakin shook his head stubbornly, "Obi-Wan, I. Left. Her."

"Anakin, you may have been the man of your household, you may even have been the one of the two of you who had the more marketable skills, but you were a child. It was not your choice, not much more than it was mine, to become a Jedi. Yes, I certainly believe that your mother would have kept you if you had begged her to stay, but she could have told Qui-Gon no regardless of what you said. Qui-Gon would have respected your mother's wishes over yours."

"And you think that makes a difference?"

"Yes, it does make a difference, because you seem to be under some delusion that your mother's death was your fault."

"I left her! And I never came back! Not until it was too late!" Anakin was on his feet bellowing over him.

Ben had to fight to not flinch, he kept his gaze on those blue eyes, so like Luke's, completely free of the yellow taint that had possessed him on Mustafar.

"Do not dishonour her like this, Anakin."

Confusion coloured his expression, and it was enough to halt the angry tirade, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your mother died a freed woman. She married a man who she loved and became part of a family that never forgot her. The Lars family will be telling stories about Shmi Skywalker until they have no descendants left."

Luke likely knew more about his grandmother's life after Anakin left with Qui-Gon than Anakin did.

Anakin just stared at him.

Ben sighed, "Anakin, your mother earned her own freedom, she might have been a slave, but she was a person, an adult, an individual responsible for her own fate. She didn't need to be rescued."

"She was tortured to death!"

Ben sighed again, "The Tuskens and settlers have been a war for centuries. Her death was not so uncommon. There are many ways to die in the desert. And unless you planned to move back to Tatooine to become her personal bodyguard or separate her from her husband and extended family, what could you have done? Again, Anakin, you were _her_ child, not the other way around."

"I could have saved her-"

"Your step-brother, Edern Lars died at fourteen years of age," Ben interjected.

Anakin blinked at him, "Wait, you really _know_ the Lars?"

"The moisture farmers in that area are all gossips," he said, which was why he hadn't been able to really hide among them. Everyone in that area knew of 'Crazy Ben' no matter how infrequently he went in for supplies. Hiding was easier in Mos Eisley. "And I likely know more about your extended family than you do."

Anakin glared at him, "Jedi aren't allowed attachments, I hardly think you would have approved of my fostering relationships with them."

Ben smirked at him, "That isn't untrue, but neither is the fact that you have about as much in common with a moisture farmer as a bird has in common with a fish."

"They're still my family."

"Oh, then forgive me for stopping you from holiday trips to Tatooine."

Anakin glared at him, "I would have liked to see my mother."

"But you don't really care about the Lars."

Anakin snapped at him, "Of course I do!"

"Strange, here I am talking about them, and you've failed to ask a single question about them."

"I met them."

"You didn't meet Edern, and to my statement of he died at fourteen, you didn't ask how."

Anakin rolled his eyes, "Tuskens, Tuskens killed him."

Ben sighed, "No, not even close. He died in a speeder accident."

Anakin sat back down, "Oh."

"Anakin, you can't protect the people you love."

Anakin almost snarled at him, "Yes, I can."

"No, you can't. You can do your best by them, you can protect them in a fight, you- well, there are many things you can do. But you cannot be in all places at once, and accidents are the reality of life. And eventually, everybody dies."

"But the Force gave me a vision! I could have saved my mother!"

"Anakin, the reason the Order warns so heavily against visions is because some of them never come to pass while others happen because we try acting on them. What we are able to glimpse within the Force does not define us. You cannot chase after every single image you receive or you will be driven mad."

"But it was right!"

"It was right this time, but look at what happened to Master Sifo-Dyas. He was so fearful of a galactic war that he joined with the Sith unwittingly. In his last appearances before the Council, he was raving. Maybe he was right, maybe his visions were spot on, or maybe he caused the things he saw and the Force was trying to warn him _against_ acting."

"But my mother-"

"Anakin if you had told me that you were having Force-given visions about your mother being in danger, I would have taken you myself back to Tatooine."

He would have tried to talk him down and out of it, but the Anakin he knew was stubborn and Ben would have gone rather than let Anakin go alone.

"No, you wouldn't have."

"Anakin, you do realize being a Jedi is a choice, correct?"

"What?"

"You were kind of stuck with me after Qui-Gon left, but if you had told me at any point that you didn't want to be a Jedi anymore, I would have helped you resettle yourself. I would have brought you home to your mother."

"I want to be a Jedi," Anakin said defensively, "Don't you want me to be a Jedi?"

"I think you _are_ a great Knight, Anakin, and I have always believed in you. But I think you would be just as great in anything else you choose to do. Being a Jedi is not the only path and the Force will always be with."

"Would you really have left the Order for Luke?"

Ben nodded, "I would have. Just as I would have left if Satine had asked me to stay with her. But until it comes to that, I want to be a Jedi Knight, do you?"

"You know I do."

"Do I? Because apparently, I'm not the only one who has been keeping secrets."

"You don't understand," Anakin said, looking away, his hands clenching.

"When the visions started, did you think they were just nightmares?" Ben asked, "When did you realize that they were more?"

Anakin looked down at his hands, "I didn't know, I was… when you asked me that night Padme was almost assassinated by the bugs, that's when I thought they were maybe more than bad dreams." He glared up at him, hiding his insecurities with bravado, "Don't act like I didn't come to you for help."

"You told me they were nightmares, Anakin. By the Force, do you have any idea how many nightmares I have? Half of them you gave me."

Anakin flinched and Ben cursed himself for being too loose with his words. He softened his voice, "Anakin, when you first became my Padawan, I had nightmares about Maul killing you while I watched. I had nightmares about the Council kicking us both out. I had nightmares about taking the formal trials myself to become a Knight and failing. Resulting in other Knights taking you away from me to be their Padawan while I was sent back to Bandomeer."

Anakin stared at him, "You feared not being good enough?"

"Always, Anakin, I have always feared that and likely always will. But I try my best to not let those fears rule me. All of those were just nightmares, I got through them, even the recurring ones, even the ones that make me fear closing my eyes at night. They were dreams. And I swear to you, that when you spoke of your mother I did not understand that you were having visions. As your Master, I should have, and I am sorry for failing you."

_Sorrier than you will ever know._

Anakin stared at him, bewildered and confused. He swallowed hard, "I- I forgive you."

Ben shut his eyes, feeling as if Anakin had just shot him through with a blaster.

_Forgiveness._

He said it so simply, like it was a natural thing to say.

Anakin said as if he meant it.

_Forgiveness._

What a strange, strange notion.

Ben had lost faith in such a notion when Satine had died in his arms and Mandalore had burned itself to the ground. Not an hour after her death, from the skies had rained fire and smoke. Screams had filled the streets, the beckoning call to an empire that would all but finish the job a few years later.

And Ben had given up on ever being forgiven on the river banks of Mustafar.

"Obi-Wan?"

Ben shook himself, "I know what you did to the Tusken tribe, but I would like to hear it from you."

Anakin looked down at his hands without saying a word.

Ben sighed, "So who did you talk to about this then? Or have you been letting this rot inside you?"

Anakin flinched, "Padme."

Ben didn't know how to respond to that. Padme had married him after knowing he had killed children? That didn't sound like her.

But maybe he was missing something, or maybe Padme believed what the settlers did, that Sand People were monsters.

Sand monsters shaped into flesh and human shape.

But Obi-Wan knew they were human.

He leaned forward trying to see into Anakin as he glanced up guiltily. Ben tried to see what he had missed the first time around, "Padme, and anyone else? And did you ever have visions after your mother's passing?"

Anakin nodded, "And after what happened with my mother and you're not being there, I started going to Yoda for counselling."

"Yoda?" Ben repeated. He couldn't keep the consternation out of his voice, "You went to Yoda for a confidant? Grandmaster Yoda, really?"

Yoda had disapproved of Anakin more strongly than anyone else on the Council had, why would Anakin have possibly gone to him?

Not that Ben didn't love Yoda. Yoda was the reason Ben had become a Knight at all but Ben had never thought that Yoda would have been able to get Anakin to open up to him regularly.

Also, curse Yoda for not confiding in Ben that Anakin had been asking for help.

No wonder Yoda had assigned Ahsoka to Anakin without his involvement.

Meddlesome bastard.

"Yoda is a good listener."

Ben sighed heavily, "Yoda is a reflection pool, in his words you hear whatever you want to hear or on the occasions he gives you a solid answer that you disagree with and you do what you want anyway, he was probably right and you're proving him right adds to his mystic that he knows everything."

Anakin raised his brows, "Yoda is usually right about everything."

"No," Ben said so firmly that Anakin rocked back, "No, he isn't. Yoda is not always right and it is folly for the Order to be trusting him on everything when he is blind as the rest of us. His age gives him wisdom, but his great age also puts a void between him and the rest of the galaxy. Time does not pass for him the same way it does for us."

Yoda had trusted Palpatine, liked him even, until the bitter end.

Yoda hadn't let Ben take more Knights or troops with him to Mandalore to help Satine and take out Maul and Death Watch. Yoda hadn't listened to him when he said putting Anakin on the Council for the sole purpose of spying on Palpatine was a bad idea.

Yoda had trusted the Senate, Yoda had stayed the course in the war, Yoda had led them to destruction as much as Ben had prepped the weapon for their detonation.

Yes, he and Yoda, the sole survivors of the original Jedi Order, and also the reason it had been destroyed.

"Aren't you usually the one lecturing me about trusting in the Council's wisdom?"

Ben looked at him tiredly, "Being on the Council gave me an unpleasant perspective. You should have gone to Mace or Plo Koon, even Kit, all of them could have helped you better than Yoda could possibly have."

"Mace? Mace Windu hates me."

"Mace is a hardass because he is leader of the Jedi Order and because he uses both the Dark and the Light Side of the Force. Meddling with the Dark Side requires an amount of self-discipline that is humbling. He would have understood what you had gone through, perhaps better than I can."

Anakin blinked at him, "Mace is a Dark Sider? And he isn't the leader, Yoda is the Grandmaster."

"The only reason Mace isn't Grandmaster is because he isn't that great with the younglings and because Yoda was his Master. The power dynamic between them will always be such that Mace will differ to Yoda's judgement. So yes, in some light, Yoda is still the head of the Order, but Mace does a lot more active work than Yoda does. This war has pulled Yoda from his retirement."

Anakin blinked, "Yoda was retired?"

Ben nodded, "He was a voice on the Council, but he had every intention of stepping down in order to focus solely on teaching initiates. He is a wise being, and I don't disapprove of you talking to him. But if you really needed help…"

Then clearly Yoda dropped the ball.

Anakin looked lost, "Yoda is the voice of the Jedi though."

"Alright, then what did Yoda say about your actions on Tatooine?"

"Um, well, I didn't exactly tell him, but he knew something was wrong."

Ben frowned, "What did he say?"

Anakin shrugged, "I can't really remember his exact words, but it translated to let go of the people I love."

Ben frowned harder, "That's blunt."

"He worded it more vaguely."

"So you told him you returned to Tatooine to find your mother dead-"

"No, I didn't tell him that."

"Then what did you tell him, Anakin?"

"I- well I put it in vague terms."

Ben stared at him, "I'm sorry, _you_ talked in 'vague' terms to Yoda?"

Anakin nodded.

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose, he had no words.

"Obi-Wan?"

Ben let his hand fall and sighed, took a breath, and sighed, again. "So really, the only person you've talked to about this, is Padme. Padme who, as wonderful and understanding as she is, is not a Force sensitive and could not have helped you through the metaphysical parts of your actions."

"Metaphysical?" Anakin asked, "I didn't mind control them, Obi-Wan, I sliced them up."

And there was an edge to his voice.

Ben sat forward, "Okay, enough. Give me the full story. What happened from the time you left with Padme to Naboo?"

Anakin swallowed hard. "I- had nightmares. Visions. I told Padme that I had to go."

Ben didn't bother berating him for leaving his mandate to protect Padme. Padme after all, had flown to Geonosis to save Ben, and she hadn't wanted Jedi guard at all to begin with. That had been Palpatine's idea.

"We took her ship to Tatooine, Watto, my old Master, told me that my mother had been freed by a settler. By the time we arrived, my mother had been gone for weeks."

Ben frowned, "And she was still alive?"

"Yes, she had been tortured for their sick pleasure."

"They were testing her strength."

Anakin looked outraged, "What are you talking about?"

"Tuskens take women, and sometimes men, to join them to sustain their numbers. Although it is almost unheard of for them to steal children. Most children simply aren't strong enough to survive that kind of life."

"They wanted my mother to become a Tusken?" Anakin asked, horrified. "My mother could never be a monster like one of them."

"She likely would have just been responsible for taking care of their younglings and learning to tend Bantha herds, actually. Not all Tuskens are warriors, they're rather skittish actually."

Anakin frowned at him, "Are you saying what they did to my mother is okay?"

"Not at all," Ben said, _I'm interrupting you so you will think rather than get lost in the memories,_ "I just don't know how much you actually know about Tusken culture."

"Enough to know that kidnapping people and torturing them is evil."

"Individuals can act evilly, but be careful to judge an entire population when their way of life is based on survival. The settlers learned to draw water from the desert skies, but the Tuskens lived many hundreds years before the settlers, before even the Hutts. Theirs is a brutal life, and they are a brutal people, but do not assume them incapable of love and morality."

Anakin's expression was closed off, "Well, I found my mother, and she died in my arms. I couldn't save her. So avenged her."

"How did you avenge her?"

"I thought you knew what happened."

"I want you to tell me."

Anakin didn't kick him out, which Ben was relieved and worried by. Either his own scandal was enough to prove to Anakin that he wasn't the perfect Jedi, or Anakin had kept this bottled up so long that he just didn't care anymore, "I killed them."

"Who?"

"What do you mean 'who'?"

"Who did you kill, the people who tortured your mother or-"

Anakin hissed, leaning forward, anger rising like a veil to protect him, "I killed them all, the men, the women, and the children."

Ben kept his expression passive, "On purpose?"

"What the hell do you mean, 'on purpose'? I sliced them down with my lightsaber, I hunted them into the night as they tried to run away. I spared no one."

"On purpose?"

"I didn't kill them on accident."

"I mean, do you go into that camp knowing that if they had killed your mother that you were going to kill them all, including the children?"

It was harder to say those words to Anakin then any discussion he had ever had before in his life, all Ben could see in his mind were the Jedi younglings. The holoimages of Anakin… But Ben had to know, he had to ask. He had to know where he had gone wrong and _why_ Anakin had fallen.

"No," Anakin blanched, his anger departing as if whisked away on a wind, "I would never plan- I mean…" his voice trailed off.

Ben closed his eyes, relieved beyond measure. He hadn't been kidding himself that Anakin hadn't been evil in the beginning.

Most people did not start out evil, and Anakin was not the exception.

"Do you know why you killed them?" Ben asked gently.

"You ask that like I'm not the one who did it."

"You are, but I want to know why."

"Because they tortured my mother."

"The younglings tortured Shmi?"

Anakin glared up at him, "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to understand yourself. What pushed you to kill everyone?"

"They were animals, so I killed them like animals."

"First off, you know that isn't true. They were people of a different culture, but still people. And secondly, unless I have been very blind, you don't go around slaughtering hapless furry creatures in your spare time."

Anakin flushed, his gaze on his metal hand, it was late enough that he wasn't wearing gloves, and said so softly Ben almost couldn't hear him, "I was so angry."

Ben was quiet for a long time, waiting for Anakin to hear himself.

Finally, Anakin looked up at him, his eyes filled with fear and sorrow, and Ben was both glad and grieved to see it.

Mace described shatter point as a moment that can break the course of the future, and in that instant, Ben saw it.

He saw Anakin's breaking point, one that had passed Ben by last time.

Because he hadn't understood how much Anakin needed to be understood, how very, very lost he was.

"Do you hate me, Master?"

Ben held out his hand, and Anakin put his left hand out at once, reaching for a lifeline. Ben swore he could feel Anakin's pulse pounding.

"No, Anakin, I don't hate you, and this is not wholly your fault. I tried to teach you control, but I think what I should have been helping you find was your limits."

Anakin squeezed his hand, "What do you mean, my limits?" His gaze though never left Ben's face.

He had never seen Anakin look so afraid, terrified to be turned away, terrified to hope that Ben wouldn't fail him again.

Ben felt like the worst sort of being in the galaxy, but he shoved aside his personal feelings, right now this was what Anakin needed.

"It is not so uncommon for people to lose their heads when faced with great trauma. There are husbands who come home to their wife in bed with another man and the husband kills the lover and his own wife. Only after the rage subsides do they realize what they've done. Many would say it was heartless, cruel, revenge for revenge's sake. But the same people will often take their own lives out of grief. Trauma that causes trauma, reaction that leads to disaster. Some courts in the galaxy will forgive it, but I don't know that the person who killed their own wife ever forgave themselves, no matter the provocation."

Ben had so long to over analyze Anakin's reaction to seeing him walk off Padme's ship.

_You're with him. You've betrayed me!_

Ben would kill Anakin before he let him kill Padme again.

"I would rather die a thousand times over than do that to Padme," Anakin said, as if echoing Ben's conviction.

Ben wondered if Anakin realized he just implied that Padme was his wife, but now was not the time for that discussion.

Ben put his free hand over their clasped hands, "Anakin, what you did to the Tuskens was not a good thing, but I do understand."

"You forgive me?"

"Do you forgive yourself?" Ben asked.

He said nothing.

Ben sighed, "Anakin, I cannot absolve you of anything, though I can tell you that isn't a crime that will get you expelled from the Order."

Anakin blinked at him, "Wait, really? But I-"

"You are not the first Jedi to lose control. Though you certainly would have been chewed out for doing this in response to your mother's death. This is the very reason the Order forbids attachments."

Anakin pulled his hand back, "Are you telling me that what I experienced, that being that angry, is normal?"

"A normal man, Anakin, will shoot his wife and her lover. A normal man might have been able to sneak into the Tusken camp and killed your mother's immediate torturers. But short of being a Mandalorian or armed with a bomb, a normal man could not have killed the entire tribe."

Anakin stared at him.

"You are very gifted, my Padawan, and your gifts go well beyond your skills in the Force. But it is your connection to the Force that makes you so dangerous. Extreme negative emotions can throw you into the Dark, and your actions, your very thoughts, cease to be your own."

Anakin was traumatized by what he had done and he likely had never come to terms with it. His eyes showed that pain, that pain that Palpatine had so carefully and cleverly coaxed and shaped to his own purposes.

Cutting Anakin off from anyone who might have been able to help him.

"You are incredibly dangerous, Anakin," he said again, "So am I, so is Ahsoka, so is Luke, it's the nature of what we are. We have powers that others can only dream of, and the destruction we can wrought can be beyond comprehension."

"They were just Tuskens," Anakin muttered.

Ben tsked, "That is no excuse. You lost control. You've seen what the Sith can do. There are a maximum of five of them running around, and they've managed to start and prolong a galactic civil war."

"I am not a Sith."

"No, because you don't have nearly their control."

"Excuse me?"

"The Dark Side, Anakin, is of the Force, but it functions differently than the Light. If you lose control, the Dark Side will use you as a vehicle."

"Like possession?"

"Akin to possession, but think of it more as a steroid or drug. It is possible to build up a tolerance, but you will never be yourself while you are using it. Take Dooku for instance. He was a great man once, he was Qui-Gon's Master, while always reserved, he was compassionate for life in the galaxy. But he traded everything that made him decent for his own goals, his own passions. Because in truth, the only way to rise above being a tool to the Dark Side is through apathy and control."

It's how Ben had beaten Anakin, even with all that power, Anakin hadn't been as dangerous as Dooku had been, he had lacked control and experience.

Palpatine had driven him to the brink and pushed him into the abyss.

Dooku had already found his footing in the Dark before Palpatine had sunk his claws into him.

Anakin stared at him, "I- what should I do?"

Ben leaned back in his seat, "If I suggested meditation-"

Anakin scowled at him.

Ben grinned, but his expression fell, "Being a good person, Anakin, doesn't mean being infallible. You must face your mistakes, your pain, acknowledge them, then let them go."

Ben had been learning to do that for nineteen years, maybe longer, maybe since, Satine had died because of him, maybe since Qui-Gon had died because of him, or maybe since is every failure since becoming a Padawan.

Holding on those mistakes he never forgot, but he couldn't give in to the despair of them.

"You can't let yourself forget, our mistakes teach us what we are capable of and what we aren't. They teach us that life is never fair and that we are imperfect even when we try our hardest. But we can't let that define us, we can't let that make us believe that there isn't goodness in the galaxy, that there isn't good that we can yet achieve. The path of a Jedi is not an easy one, but we aren't doing this to find inner peace, we walk the path of the Light in hopes that we can help others."

"At a great personal cost," Anakin said softly.

Ben nodded, "We are Knights, not monks."

They were quiet for a long time.

Anakin asked quietly, "What will you do if something happens to Luke?"

_Die._

Ben sucked in a breath, then let it go, "I wouldn't be okay, Anakin, I wouldn't be okay."

He hadn't been okay since Anakin had fallen, since Ben had crippled him and left him for dead, burning to death.

But Ben had always known he was destined to suffer, his visions had always been bleak of his own future lost in the desert, alone in ways that he had never imagined. Qui-Gon had confirmed throughout their Padawan and Master years that his visions of Ben had been the same.

Luke was his only hope, Luke and Leia. But Luke had been his to protect.

Just as Anakin had been.

Ben knew deep in his soul that he would not have been able to survive Luke's death, he might go on but his life would be a prison sentence.

"Then why bring him into this war?" Anakin asked.

Ben looked at him, "Because I have faith in him. I think he can make a difference. And because I love him enough that I would rather he be with me than let him take his chances out on his own."

And those words were as much for Anakin as they were for Luke.

* * *

Anakin felt better than he had in years after talking to Obi-Wan the night before. He felt like a load had been taken off his shoulders. After he had left, Anakin had meditated on all that his Master said.

And though he was far from inner peace, he felt much clearer headed. Nothing had been solved, exactly, but he felt closer to Obi-Wan and the Jedi than he ever had before.

He knew he was the black sheep in the Order, but to know that what he was struggling with wasn't uncommon gave him connections that he didn't know he needed. It made him feel more secure about what he could teach Ahsoka for one.

Unfortunately, there wasn't time for more reflection.

Obi-Wan had said, "There are more slaves on Zygerria than Zygerrians, and unlike the Hutts, they don't use slave chips." He had pointed to the map, "We need a thorough evacuation, which means we'll need to occupy the planet for a few days to ensure we get everyone who wants to leave out. Plo and his men are going to back us up tomorrow in the case that the Separatists get wind of our position."

Rex had let out a soft relieved breath that Anakin only noticed because they had been standing shoulder to shoulder.

Anakin was just relieved that Obi-Wan had agreed to killing anyone who threatened a slave to protect themselves. Yes, enslaved people would die today, but not nearly as many as if they let them play the hostage game.

The sharpshooters among the clones were being broken up between squads for that very purpose.

Anakin trusted his men to take head shots and not injure the civilians.

Luke was being placed in the second wave in the air when the Zygerria realized how screwed they were. It would take fire power to take down this little empire of scum and villainy.

Ahsoka and Rex had led the charge on the palace.

While Obi-Wan and Anakin were evacuating the mines, several squads waited at the entrance to help get them to the carrier ships, and a few more followed them as ready to shoot as to help. Not everyone in those mines is going to have enough strength to get out on their own.

It went both better than Anakin had been reasonably able to hope for, but the results were still pretty horrific.

Slavery was wrong, and seeing it like this, knowing that this is what his mother had gone through… it hurt. Just as it hurt to see the people they were trying to save be used as meat shields or slaughtered by the Zygerrians they were chasing down.

Every slave on this planet would be freed today, Anakin just wished that they all could have lived to see a life away from their slavers.

* * *

Luke's heart was in his chest. He was flying solo today.

He was flying a Delta-7 Aethersprite-class Light Interceptor, and R2-D2, the very droid that had led him to Ben and started this whole adventure, was beeping happily in front of him.

Luke had the strangest suspicion that the little droid _liked_ fighting and crazy ventures.

But as they were in the middle of a war, he supposed, that wasn't a bad thing.

He had thought the worst thing about today had been having to wait while others went down to fight.

As his ship took off, he finally felt like he had a purpose as if he was in his element.

Ben had given one piece of advice, "Trust in the Force, Luke."

He didn't really know what that meant, but as he soared to intercept the Zygerrian fighters, he thought he understood as he let his instincts take over, weaving between fire, and fire back exactly where he needed to.

He knew he was a gifted pilot, he knew he had good aim, but letting himself truly trust that, to let go of doubt and just respond, it was beyond what he thought to be possible.

"KT-Two," Jax called over the coms, "Defend that carrier ascending to the east."

"Copy that Jax."

KT-Two was what Plate had jokingly called him, as in Kenobi Trooper, the Second Kenobi, and it had stuck, even if most of the clones still called him Luke. The nickname made him feel like he was a part of this time. It was strange really, he thought there would be a bigger difference between when he had grown up and twenty years in the past.

But he hadn't known much about the wider galaxy, and it was more of adjustment just realizing who Ben really was.

Who would have thought that Crazy Ben was one of the most senior Generals in the fallen Republic?

Spinning away from a near collision brought his focus back on what he was doing. And he shot down two more enemy ships.

"Luke, pull up!" Appo called through the coms.

But Luke was already rising as a fury explosion heated his undercarriage.

"Luke!" Appo calls again, "you alright?"

"I'm a little cooked, but I'm alright," he said, R2 either beeping in confirmation or cheering on the risky flying.

After seeing his birth father fly, Luke was not surprised that R2 had belonged to him.

"You are not allowed to get cooked," this from Fives.

"Copy that, Fives," Luke answered with a smile.

He understood their worry, really he did, nobody wanted General Kenobi's son to get blown out of the skies, but Luke was having too much fun to worry as much as them.

Jax commed, "Watch yourself! There's a lot of fire coming from the right side of that deflection tower."

"I'm on it," Luke called back, twisting his ship in a dive to target the tower that was targeting the carrier ship.

The tower crumbled, smoke plooming from it, and the carrier got out of range from the worst of the fighting.

As Luke came out of the strike, he noticed a fighter on Jax's tail.

Plate called to him, "Jax behind you!"

Jax swerved, "He's on me tight, I can't shake him… I can't shake him!"

Jax peeled off and dived toward but he was unable to lose the Zygerria fighter who stayed on him.

"Hang on, Jax, I'm coming in!"

His screen is taking too long to lock onto a target, and R2 warned him that they have a slight malfunction. Luke let out a breath, he can't wait, one shot and Jax is will be a goner.

_Trust in the Force, Luke._

Luke fired, and the Zygerria ship exploded.

"Got him!" he exclaimed.

Jax's relieved voice came a bit breathlessly over the open frequency, "I owe you one, KT-Two."

Luke was grinning, as the aerial assault continued, he knew he was exactly where he's supposed to be.

But his luck didn't last.

"Pull in! Luke... pull in!" Appo shouted in his ear.

"Watch your back, Luke!" Fives called.

Plate was shouting at him too, "Watch your back! Fighter's above you, coming in!"

"I'm hit, but not bad," he said as the glancing shot rocks his ship.

Smoke was pouring out from behind R2, and Luke had to angle upwards so he could keep his windshield clear.

"R2, see what you can do with it. Hang on."

All bravado left him as he realized that if that shot had been a fraction more precise he would be dead.

He started flipping switches, keeping pace with R2's repairs.

Luke glanced up in time to see Jax get hit, his fighter disappearing in a fireball descending toward the surface.

Luke felt Jax's light go out, like a string cut in the world around him.

Jax was dead.

"Jax down," Echo stated, his voice all business.

Luke was speechless as they reformed into a strike pattern.

He didn't do a lot of talking after that, but to respond to direct information.

When Plate went down too, Luke realized what Uncle Owen had been trying to explain to him.

There's nothing good about war.

* * *

Ben can't help but pull Luke into a hug when they regroup on the Star Destroyer.

He can feel Anakin's eyes on them but he didn't care as he looked Luke over for injuries.

He's fine, if a little shell shocked. He must have lost some friends. Luke had fallen in with the troops well, and Ben was glad of it, even if it brought Luke heartache.

More of the Jedi should have cared for their small losses as well as their bigger ones. And that Luke grieved people he knew for less than two weeks, spoke to his compassion.

He really was his mother's son. Not that Anakin didn't care, but he tended to hide his softer emotions in front of people he thought would judge him, well, except when it came to Padme, Ahsoka, and R2.

"You alright?" Ben asked.

Luke nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sir," Appo said, "Our squads are ready to scout the surface."

Ben nodded, "Take Luke with you."

"Obi-Wan," Anakin protested.

Ben shushed him with a gesture, "You're alright, Luke?"

Luke nodded but looked at Anakin oddly.

Appo and the others were stone faced, they understood.

"Be careful, Luke, and follow Appo and Five's orders. The Zygerria surrendered but that doesn't mean people won't still shoot at you, and not just the Zygerrians. Do you understand?"

Luke nodded, "Yes."

Ben looked to Appo, "Then go, be back in five hours. You will need to rest and Plo's men just entered the atmosphere."

"Sir," the troops saluted him, Luke falling into line with them.

When the doors shut behind them, Anakin turned on Ben, his gaze blazing, "What are you doing? Luke isn't ready fo-"

"If he can kill people in a war then he can see the price of it," Ben cut him off.

"He's your son!" Anakin almost yelled at him.

Ben got in Anakin's face, and even though he was shorter, it was still Anakin who took a step back, "Yes, and I would rather he see this after the worst of the fire storm has passed than bring him into a full siege. He needs to learn ground skills. You know how many shoot outs we have been in while in the hangers. Being a great pilot is not enough."

"You're going to traumatize him," Anakin said.

"Luke is two years older than Ahsoka and only two years younger than you," Ben said, "If he can't handle it then I will find somewhere for him to go into hiding. But he's stronger than you think."

Anakin shook his head, "Obi-Wan, that kid is so fresh he sparkles."

Ben wondered if Anakin's parental instincts were being raised by somehow sensing the bond between them, or if he was picking up on how like Padme Luke was.

"Luke," Ben said calmly, "has lived all his life on the Tatooine frontier, I'll admit that he doesn't have much experience with social circumstances, he certainly isn't a city boy, but he isn't soft either."

Force knows the boy got into enough trouble that Ben had to bail him out of over the years.

"You're being cruel."

Ben fought not to flinch, "War _is_ cruel. But Luke will be okay, you're the one I'm worried about."

Anakin blinked at him. Ahsoka and Rex were watching this discussion like a match of toss the battle-droid.

Ben grinned, "I told you, we need to find your limits."

"Now?" he asked, "We have been fighting all day."

"Which is good, because otherwise we would have to be at this for days."

Anakin looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"I think we need to figure out how much you can do before you drop."

Anakin smiled, "Sparring?"

Ben shook his head, "No, telekinesis."

Anakin looked less excited at this, lightsaber duelling was his passion.

But he followed Ben, Ahsoka, Rex, and Jesse following behind them.

Ben brought them to one of the hangers and had Anakin lift a fighter ship that was beyond repair.

Up, down, spin it around, over and over and over again.

Anakin lasted a good two hours, but as he tired, he began to strain, unconsciously pulling on the Force with his emotions.

"Easy, Anakin," Ben cautioned, "breathe, the Force will not desert you. You need not wrest it from its course. Ask it for help, believe in yourself, guide it. Everyone and everything is a part of the Force, but we were born with the ability to communicate with it. Control yourself, the Force is bigger than you, but it will respond to your intentions, there is no need to try to bully it."

Twenty years and Ben had obsessed over everything he had done wrong, all the things he left undone and unsaid.

He had failed Anakin, failed to show what the power of the Light truly was.

Because yes, the Dark Side was powerful. Destruction, death, and chaos, they were even necessary at times for new and healthy things to come in its place.

But death was the natural path, it was the road everything raced toward. To use the Dark Side of the Force was to give into inevitable, to declare that life isn't worth much except the temporary pleasures and short term impulses.

But the Light? The Light was creation, it was hard work and building, it was a mountain climb to see the sunsets, it was learning to surf ocean waves. The Light was the harder road, but it's rewards were lasting.

In the Light of Anakin's life, he had sired two beautiful children, two shining points of hope in the galaxy.

In his Darkness he had destroyed everyone who had known and loved. Every bridge burned, every heart broken.

_Obi-Wan, there is good in him. I know there is still._

Padme's last words.

Anakin was sweating as he tired, setting the fighter down again.

Ben breathed in deeply then exhaled, throwing his hands up tossing Anakin across the room. Anakin stumbled, running backwards to keep his feet only to land on his butt when the momentum stopped.

"Honestly, Anakin, we haven't been doing this long, do you truly need a break so soon. I thought you were the younger of us?"

Anakin grinned at him, standing to his feet as if he had springs in his joints.

He was so gifted, so strong, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth and acceleration of a challenge.

There wasn't good in him, Anakin was good. A good man, a good Knight and General, a good husband, and a good father.

If only he had been given the chance.

Ben would not give up on him, he would not believe that Anakin would again be boiled down to his traumas, to his fears…

He would not be alone this time. Ben knew what was happening this time around, knew the game Palpatine was playing. Ahsoka wasn't going to be framed and leave, and Anakin was going to earn the rank of Master on merit.

Anakin would be a Master Jedi because this time Ben would get through to him. Somehow, someway he was going to get through to him.

Anakin's counter Force push wasn't nearly enough to get past Ben's shield, but he staggered dramatically, "Ow," he drawled, "what strength."

Anakin's next strike blew Ben's hair back, his robes fluttering back as well, and he allowed the outer robe to fall off his shoulders. He ran a hand through his windswept hair and struck a pose.

Ahsoka who had been watching from the corner with the clones broke into hapless giggles.

Anakin rolled his eyes, "And I'm the dramatic one?"

Ben swept his hand forward and Force pushed Anakin's legs out from under him.

Anakin was already exhausted and had been stretching his telekinesis abilities more than he had ever likely done so that his shields were easy for Ben to bypass.

Anakin caught himself in a pushup and let out a stream of Huttese curses.

"Yep," Ben said, "you're still the drama king."

Anakin glared up at him, but he couldn't hold it. He was smiling as they continued, Ben egging him on, but pulling Anakin back anytime he might have reached for something deeper.

 _Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny,_ was more than a legend Yoda told to scare younglings.

Ben kept pushing Anakin, joking all the while. The Light was joy, the Light was laughter, the Light was life and it was harder to hold onto as your energy drained, harder to keep demanding of when your limbs were shaking and you kept landing flat on your face.

But the Light listened, the Light gave only as much as you could ask for, it was not overpowering.

Strength came from within, and as Ben tested Anakin, he tried to show him in more than words that this type of strength was true freedom.

Not because it was limitless, but because only you had the control and strength to decide when and where those limits began and ended.

And in the process of sparring like this, Ben was able to remember the years before Mustafar. He was able to remember the man fighting at his side in the face of certain doom, able to remember the years of training a young boy who had just been trying to find his place in an uncertain galaxy.

Ben was able to let go of his fear he had been carrying around with him since being dropped in the past, and able to fully embrace that this really was _his_ Anakin. His brother, his son, the boy he had been so very proud of.

If only Anakin could realize how much he was loved.

* * *

Anakin couldn't laugh anymore, mainly because he could hardly breathe, he couldn't smile anymore because his cheeks actually hurt.

Force help him, he forgot how funny, how playful, Obi-Wan could be when he wanted to be. He was always so bitingly sarcastic, it was a shock to remember that in lighthearted settings he was simply a cheerful optimist.

They both laid on their backs, side by side, trying to catch their breaths.

Anakin couldn't ever recall being this exhausted without an injury. His muscles were trembling and his connection to the Force was a crackling thing. Yet this was just the beginning, they hadn't reached his limit, although he needed to build up endurance for using telekinesis like this.

He turned to look at Obi-Wan who was already smiling at him, his blue eyes dancing with happiness.

Anakin couldn't remember having quite this much fun sparring with his Master before.

Grinning, he said, "I hate you."

The warm happiness on Obi-Wan's face died, like water evaporating on hot sand, and he rolled to his feet.

A zing of panic went through Anakin and he struggled to sit up, "Obi-Wan!" he called.

But Obi-Wan was already halfway to the exit.

"Obi-Wan, I didn't mean it like that, I was only joking!"

Obi-Wan stopped and looked back at him, his expression was utterly unreadable, his blue eyes greyer than Anakin had ever seen them. "I know," he said, before turning back on his heel and leaving.

Anakin's heart was pounding, he didn't think he had ever offended Obi-Wan before, well his sensibilities, those he had probably offended on a regular basis, but he couldn't ever remember hurting him with words alone.

Nothing stuck to Obi-Wan, he was the sarcastic optimistic who could shrug off just about anything. No matter how angry Anakin had ever become with Obi-Wan over the years, he had never hurt before. Even when he had been trying to.

So why had he reacted to a jibe that was clearly only meant in jest?

Ahsoka came to help Anakin stagger to his feet, "Is something wrong with Obi-Wan?"

Anakin wanted nothing more than to chase after him to find out. But maybe Anakin had found his limit after all because suddenly the prospect of reaching his own room rather than finding a corner to sleep in seemed a daunting task.

"I'm not sure," he told her, "but something has changed."

"Maybe Luke would know," Ahsoka offered.

Anakin shook his head, "No, don't ask him."

"Why not?"

"Because if Obi-Wan is grieving then it's his right to keep his privacy."

Because that was what that look in his gaze had been: grief.

Anakin knew that there were certain things that he would only ever share with Padme. And maybe it hurt a little that Obi-Wan wasn't confiding in him.

_I'm not the only one who has been keeping secrets._

But Anakin was coming to realize he hadn't earned that from Obi-Wan. From his own actions, lies, and secrets, he had been the one to put walls in place between them.

In always making his Master the last to know, in always hiding the extent of his problems, he had left Obi-Wan with the job of disciplinarian. So that's what he had become, a father figure always trying to catch up to the chaos of Anakin's life.

But Luke had brought out something completely different in Obi-Wan. Luke obeyed orders as well as the clones, Luke was light hearted, and by all appearances, drama free.

Obi-Wan was just as strict with Luke as he had been with Anakin, but Luke didn't resent it, no, he seemed to be flourishing under the rules and order of both the military and the Jedi.

Anakin couldn't claim any longer that he was so unique in his power level or as an older Padawan, because Luke was supposedly as powerful and was ten years older then Anakin had been.

Which meant all the reasons he had built up in his mind that he and Obi-Wan butted heads over the years were to some extent, superficial.

No, the issues that existed between them over the years were likely caused more by his constantly testing their relationship, asking for all of Obi-Wan's attention and then pushing him away. Over and over again. It's how he had been as a younger teenager, respecting his Master while struggling to be the best at everything tampered by his small rebellions, his recklessness, trying the limits of his status as a Jedi because he was a free man and the consequences weren't enough to deter him from acting out.

As long as he fell short of actually getting kicked out of the Order, then it was okay. Or so he had believed.

"Skyguy? You alright?"

He nodded, "I'm just beginning to understand what a pain in the ass I was as a Padawan."

Ahsoka snorted, "Everyone knows Master Kenobi is a saint, and you're still a pain, but we love you anyway. Now come on, Skyguy, let's get you to your room before someone has to carry you."

Anakin smiled at her, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Obi-Wan was hurting more than anyone knew.

* * *

Ben found Luke in a galley, a cold cup of tea in his hand as he sat on a bench looking up at the window at the stars. They were on the side of the ship that looked away from Zygerria.

Ben got himself and Luke a fresh cup of tea.

Luke accepted the new cup with a soft, "Thank you."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ben asked gently, sitting beside him.

He was exhausted from the day of battle and sparring with Anakin but not too exhausted to be here.

Besides, Luke was a soothing presence, even when he was upset.

"I don't want to sleep," Luke said.

"Unfortunately," he said lightly, "you will have to sleep eventually. But for now, there is nothing wrong with sitting quietly. It will take time before the events settle in your mind."

Luke looked into his teacup, his voice shook a little as he said, "I didn't think war would be this ugly."

"It is the oxymoron of waging war, that you have to fight to end the fighting."

Luke looked up at him, "Is it bad that I felt as sorry for the dead Zygerrians as I did our troops? I mean, what I saw…" his voice trailed off.

Ben almost smiled, "No, in fact, I'm glad to hear you say that. All life is precious, Luke, never forget that."

Luke took a sip from his tea, before he said, "The Zygerrians are slavers though, they killed Jax and Plate and others, shouldn't I hate them?"

"No, killing them today was necessary, because if we hadn't, there would be even more death, even more innocents and good men lost, but hatred is a weakness. It is an emotion we call up to justify our actions, to bring some reason to the chaos in the world, to the hurt inside of us. If you hate someone then they are wrong and you are right. But the universe is not so black and white."

Luke nodded, "I feel awful though, everyone else is celebrating like… we didn't lose people."

"The clones were brought up knowing they would very likely die in warfare, they celebrate because if they can't convince themselves that what they are fighting for is of value than their brothers' deaths meant nothing."

"Oh, that makes sense, but I don't know that I can…"

"It's alright, Luke, no one is going to blame you for feeling overwhelmed. The rest of us have been training all our lives to fight and defend, you've been at this for less than two weeks and yet you've already been able to keep up with the ARCs. The troops respect you, and I am very proud of you."

"So what next?" he asked.

Ben smiled, "We sit here and drink tea until you feel ready to get some real rest." He sipped his own tea, the warm liquid a balm to his nerves. He recognized this variety as one of Qui-Gon's favourites.

It was a common enough tea in the Republic, but it still brought Ben comfort. He hadn't been able to get a hold of it on Tatooine often.

Luke took another sip of his own tea, and looked back out at the stars.

They were quiet for a long time, and Ben was almost dozing when Luke said, "The galaxy is so huge, how can we possibly keep it safe?"

Ben ruffled his hair, "The Jedi Council would say that if we listen to the Force, we can lead the galaxy to peace. But my Master would say that the Force lives and grows in all living things, therefore it is our smallest actions that will define the future."

Luke gazed at him with inquisitive blue eyes and asked, "And what do you say?"

"I say that peace is not a static thing that we can achieve and rely on. For every enemy brought down there will rise another, but the moment we give up, that's when we truly fail. So we do the best we can, and hope that there are people out there who will follow in our footsteps."

Because Ben had lost everything and everyone, but he hadn't lost hope. He had never lost his faith in the Light.

Luke sighed and rested his head on Ben's shoulder, "I can live with that, I think."

Ben rested his cheek on the top of Luke's head and admitted to himself something that had been true for years now. In his heart, Luke was his son, in all but blood, Luke was his son.

And the future somehow seemed brighter for that knowledge.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, or feedback, pretty please?


	5. Poking the Rancor

SURPRISE!: This chapter was betaed by the incredible wonderful _kathrynd518_. Send her love!

Chapter 5 - Poking the Rancor

Ben knew that Sidious was going to get word of Luke. He knew Maul was going to go after everyone he loved, again. But the timeline had changed.

He didn't know how Maul had originally found out about his relation to Satine, but with his luck, it's enviable that he would find his way back to Mandalore.

As of yet, he hasn't done all that much to change the past, but he can't let Mandalore's fate rest.

There was a reason the Empire subjugated the planet, its position, its resources, its history, and when the Mandalorians inevitably rebelled, it was after all -Mandalore, the Empire had nearly succeeded in a complete genocide of the war clans.

It was something Ben had great sympathies for.

Now all he had to do was convince the Council that the Republic needed Mandalore whether it was a part of them or not.

Maybe he could convince Satine to join the Republic?

He sighed, he would need to convince Satine of a lot of things, mainly that pacifism and naturality were going to get her and her people killed.

He had absolutely no idea how to do that.

Maybe if he told her he was from the future?

It would be nice to tell someone other than Luke. Luke was so new to the wider galaxy that in all reality the time difference hadn't really made much of a difference to him.

Well, aside from being the same relative age as his parents.

"Luke," Ben said, "I'm afraid we are going to have to start your Jedi training in earnest."

Luke looked at him curiously, they were in Ben's room on the 501st Star Destroyer, he had already contacted Cody to prepare them to go to Mandalore.

Satine was going to be pissed when he showed up with an entire Battalion uninvited.

He was sort of looking forward to it.

"So, no more training with the troops?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

Ben smiled, "Oh, no, you'll still be training with them, but you're too short to hide behind trooper armour and your presence shines in the Force. Darth Maul, an old adversary of mine is going to target you as soon as he hears your name. You need to learn basic blocks and how to run away from someone with a lightsaber without losing a limb or getting bisected."

Luke stared at him, "How dangerous is he?"

"He killed my Master, the love of my life, and kicked my butt several times over. He found us on Tatooine in our timeline two years ago."

Luke's eyes widened, "Did he-"

"I killed him, but that doesn't guarantee that I can do it again," Ben lied.

He _was_ going to kill Maul this time around. There would be no more games. But he wasn't so arrogant to understatement how much damage Maul could do before Ben could catch him.

But he wasn't going in alone this time, he was positive Anakin would agree to go with him even if the Council said no.

Luke nodded, "Okay, where do we start?"

"We will start tonight, we'll be headed to Mandalore this evening."

Luke's eyes widened, "Isn't that where the Imperial Academy was?"

"One of the academies, yes, and the Empire had to slaughter more than half the population to keep that position."

Luke raised a brow, "I heard rumours of that... it really isn't any wonder why the Mandos are so grumpy all the time."

"And their personalities weren't exactly cheerful to begin with."

Luke shrugged, "I heard a Mandalorian laugh once when they were blowing up a cantina in Anchorhead."

Luke was, of course, referring to the _only_ cantina in Anchorhead.

Ben rolled his eyes, "Of course you were there for that."

The settlers had been buzzing about that incident for months, it did not surprise Ben at all that Luke was at the centre of the action.

Shaking his head, Ben refocused on current events and said, "There is something I need to tell you before we land."

"What?" Luke asked with some concern.

"Other Force sensitives can sense each, it's why bringing you to a remote planet was necessary instead of placing you with your mother's family on Naboo. While being a Skywalker on Tatooine was safe enough, nearly anywhere else in the galaxy could put you in harm's way." Ben explained. It had also been one place in the galaxy that he was certain that Anak- _Vader_ would never step foot on again.

Luke nodded, "I've been beginning to piece that together."

"You had a twin sister who was adopted by a close friend of your mother's, doubtless that Darth Vader sensed something from her but Leia Amidala Skywalker was raised as Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan," Ben said, remembering how Bail had taken the babe into his arms. Ben had no doubts that she would be safe with him. "It was her position as the sole heir to one of the noblest and peaceful worlds of the Core and the Republic, of the Empire, that kept her in the public eye and therefore protected her. So long as she was never trained in the Force, and her father went to great lengths to teach her control over her emotions, then she was relatively safe."

"Alderaan?" Luke asked, "You mean, that girl in the hologram that R2 had, that was _my_ twin sister."

"Yes, she was," Ben said with some regret, "She became a leader in the Rebellion just like Senator Bail Organa, her father was, as you hoped to become one day. In fact, Bail was one of the masterminds behind the Rebellion."

"That's incredible," his expression fell, "But I'm never going to meet her, am I?"

"Not as your twin, no, I am sorry to say, but as your sister? Perhaps." Ben couldn't help but smile a bit, "Your birth parents are after all, still very much together. You may still become an older brother, though it will be decades between you as opposed to minutes. And if we achieve our goal in saving the galaxy from an Empire, who knows? Perhaps there will be even more Skywalkers in the world."

Which was honestly speaking, a bit terrifying, but not something that Ben would ever wish to prevent.

"What if I'm born again?"

"It's possible, but you still won't be the same person. Look at the clones, the same genetic material, yet each person is so very different."

Luke nodded before he sighed and looked away, "I wish I could meet Padme."

"You will be meeting her today, actually."

Luke's head snapped up, "Really?"

Ben smiled, "She will be there to greet us among the Senate representatives." He could always tell when she would be there because of Anakin's anxiety level nearing Coruscant. "We will be arriving around lunch and I will ask her to show you around Coruscant."

"You want to keep me away from Palpatine too, don't you? Appo mentioned that the Chancellor is going to greet us." Luke asked as the thought occurred to him.

"Yes, and Luke, it is imperative that you keep your emotions calm around him. He must not suspect that we know him for what he is." Ben knew it would be easier for Luke than it would be for himself. It just wasn't as personal for Luke.

Luke frowned, "Remind me again why we can't just kill him?"

"Because he is insanely powerful and because even if we managed to get the upper hand on him he would likely flee. The Sith are slippery," which would result in Order 66. "And besides that, it would be a political disaster. He's the Chancellor of the Republic, we would be branded as traitors and Dooku would simply take his place. There is a longer game to play here."

_Get Anakin to beat him so Palpatine didn't have time to pull the kill switch on the Jedi Order._

And by the time Ben convinced Anakin that Palpatine was Darth Sidious, he hoped half the galaxy would already suspect him.

He sighed, Force help him, none of this was going to be easier, knowing the future was like knowing how they had failed.

But that didn't exactly cover all the new ways he could fail in an interesting fashion.

Luke put a hand on his arm, "We can do this, Ben. There are more people with us than against."

Ben smiled, because of course, Luke was right. Currently, they were far from alone.

Currently, they weren't beyond hope. And if he could still have hope when almost all Light in the galaxy was lost then he could have hope when there was still so much to save.

"Also," Ben said, changing the topic, "I am not sure if Ahsoka knows about Anakin and Padme, I know Rex suspects, but just so you are warned I plan on teasing Anakin."

Luke raised his brows, "How?"

"Anakin has yet to tell me that he's married. I suspected they were intimate since we had a mission with her at the start of the war, but I never knew they eloped until you were born. While Ahsoka and I would never tell the Jedi Council, I found myself a bit peeved that he never confided in me."

"But you know now, so what? You're going to drop hints until he confronts you on it?"

Ben smiled, "Precisely."

Luke smiled, "You two really were like brothers, weren't you?"

Ben's smile softened, "Yes, we were, and I hope this time around I can be there when he needs me."

The engine change was audible and he motioned for Luke to follow him.

Ben was relieved when he saw that they would be headed to the Chancellor's office as opposed to the Temple.

* * *

Luke was worried that the Chancellor would be there to greet them when they stepped off the carrier.

But he wasn't, instead, among the people waiting for them was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life.

Senator Padme Amidala.

Luke's heart _hurt_. Aunt Beru was as good a guardian as anyone could have asked for, but just like with Uncle Owen, there had been walls between them. She never wanted to leave the planet. Never wanted to step into the unfamiliar.

But Padme was his actual mother. And she was a Senator, someone who wouldn't have despised his dreams of leaving Tatooine, of wanting more from life than a quiet farmstead.

Aunt Beru had understood that more than Uncle Owen had, but there was a limit to how much she had been willing to speak with him about or listen to him talk about his dreams.

Neither Anakin nor Padme seemed to be without ambition, neither seemed content to let the galaxy tear itself apart, neither let anything prevent them from trying to help the galaxy at large.

And he loved them for it. They, just like Ben, he could aspire to be like without regret or disappointment.

Luke watched Padme's eyes, the colour of mineral stone hit just right by the suns, light up as she spotted Anakin. Though her face was a pleasant mask, her eyes were warm in greeting for him alone.

Glancing at Anakin, Luke saw the same look, how happy he was just to see her again.

It warmed Luke's heart to see how much they loved each other even if they were actively hiding it from those around them.

Beside Padme stood a tall man with noble white and grey clothing, his skin rich, his dark eyes filled with warmth and wisdom.

If not for his clothing, Luke would have assumed he was a Jedi. Luke was glad that standing before so ornately dressed people on this city-planet that his clothes had been replaced with an armour that mirrored Ben's.

Anakin stepped forward to greet them, but Ben caught Luke by the shoulders and stepped them both in Anakin's way.

"Padme, Bail, so good to see you," Ben enthused.

Bail raised a single dark brow while Padme smiled at him, "We came to greet you, Master Kenobi, when we heard you would be arriving on our way out."

"Ah, so you will be leaving us to the mercy of the Chancellor, I see."

Padme laughed, the sound light and beautiful, Luke could easily believe she was from a planet like Naboo, no one laughed like that on Tatooine.

"I'm sure you will be fine, from what I have heard it will be all praise and press today. Bail and I were just going to grab something to eat before one of our committees convene."

Ben smiled at her fondly, "That is the worst sort of danger there is. But if you must abandon us, may I ask for a favour?"

She seemed a bit surprised but still open, "Of course, anything, Obi-Wan."

"I was wondering if you might take my son with you to lunch? He's rather new to the city."

Her face went completely blank, and then she glanced at Anakin who had his arms crossed beside Ben.

"Your son?" she repeated, finally focusing on Luke, Bail too was looking at him with astonishment.

"Yes, and forgive me, we need proper introductions, Padme, Bail, this is Luke Kenobi, my son. Luke, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo and Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, dear friends of mine."

Bail inclined his head, "A pleasure, Luke Kenobi."

Padme's face had gone blank and her gaze slid back to Anakin, her eyes widening in silent question.

Anakin could only shake his head in response.

But Padme recovered with remarkable ease, "An honour to meet you, Luke, and it would be a delight to take you to lunch with us." She glanced to Anakin's left, "Ahsoka, would you like to join us too? I know the Council doesn't like having the Padawans involved with the press."

Ahsoka nearly shouted, "Yes, please!" Almost skipping to Luke's side.

Anakin looked deflated as their group waved goodbye.

Appo winked at Luke as he passed with the other top officers who entered the Senate building.

Luke didn't envy them at all, and while he worried for Ben, he was confident that Ben and Anakin together could handle just about anything.

"So Luke," Padme began, "where are you from?"

"Tatooine," he said, swallowing his nerves as he stepped onto the transport platform that would take them to a restaurant.

Padme stared at him, "You don't say. Do you know the Lars family by chance?"

Luke nodded, "Yeah, I know them pretty well, I lived close by."

_As in, I lived with them._

Padme shook her head slightly, "Sometimes, in a galaxy so vast, it always amazes me how connected we all are."

Ahsoka grinned, "Yeah, Obi-Wan seems drawn to having his Padawans be from Tatooine. For such an unremarkable planet some of the most remarkable people seem to be from there."

Luke smiled at her, "Thanks."

Ahsoka smiled back at him, her blue eyes bright and kind.

"Luke, may I ask," Padme said, "Your mother-"

"She passed away when I was born," Luke said, thinking it would be hard to say that to her, but finding that it was more truth than lie.

Padme was the mother he had lost, whether she stood before him now or not, she hadn't been around to see him grow up.

"Ben came to bring me to the Order after my guardians were killed."

"Ben?" Bail asked.

"Um, sorry, Obi-Wan, I always knew him as Ben on the rare occasions I saw him."

"Obi-Wan stayed in touch with you?" Padme asked.

Luke nodded, "He's a tad bit protective, but I didn't know he was my dad. I thought he was just some old hermit, who would have guessed he was a Jedi?"

Ahsoka shook her head, "Yeah, I would never have guessed Master Kenobi had an alter-ego either."

Bail chuckled, "And here we all thought Skywalker was the reckless one."

* * *

Ben felt his own anxiety rise with every step they took toward the Chancellor's office.

Cody, Jesse, Rex, and Appo were all emulating his stress, their every step landing firmer and more in sync as if they were marching in a parade.

_I can't do this._

Ben was having to fight his breath, how was he going to face Palpatine and not try to kill him.

Yes, the man was stronger than him, and in his present company…

He didn't have time to explain to Mace, Yoda would try to break up the fight, Anakin would stand shocked, helpless.

And Palpatine?

The slime wouldn't fight, he would pretend to be weak and turn everyone against Ben.

But that didn't change the fact that he couldn't do this. It was too much to ask. He had finally been able to reach Anakin, finally had been able to see the damage in his mind.

He needed a mind healer, but Anakin would never cooperate with that, so Ben was the best Anakin had.

But Ben couldn't sit on the sidelines, he couldn't play games inside of Anakin's head as he watched Palpatine undo any solace Ben was able to give him.

Ben realized that he couldn't be on the same side as Sidious, not even in pretence. He realized that he had been wishing, hoping that when he brought Luke before the Council as his son that they would kick him out.

Force help him.

Force what was wrong with him!?

He couldn't help Anakin and Ahsoka if he wasn't here. He couldn't help the clones if he wasn't here.

But how could he stay quiet when he knew that evil waited on every side, every front.

He-

He was a Jedi.

And no matter what path in life Ben could take he would always be a Jedi.

Even if he left the Jedi Order.

Even if the Jedi didn't exist.

Force help him, but he just couldn't stay.

He had to break this cycle, he had to save his people, clones and Knights.

Because they were all a part of the same, their fates were all unbearably tied together.

Their lives had all been twisted to the same bloody crescendo.

Jedi were meant to be first responders, they were meant to help people, not wage war against them.

People said that the Jedi had no family, no place, but at their height, the galaxy had been their home, all peoples were their people.

The only side they were supposed to be on was on the side of life.

Nostalgia swept Ben then, of all the adventures he had gone on with Qui-Gon, disobeying the rules to follow the Force, disobeying what was proper to do what was just.

Resolve came over him then.

He had thought to get Satine to side with the Republic, but not only would she never bow to the corruption of the Senate, but neither could he.

And just as Qui-Gon had gone against the Council to follow the will of the Force, Obi-Wan was going to go against the Senate to follow the true mandate of the Jedi.

He stopped abruptly, and the clones who had been watching him carefully came to a halt behind him as he turned.

Anakin, Mace, Yoda, and Plo Koon didn't seem to notice immediately.

Ben spoke in a low voice, "I am going to do something very stupid that will very well might lead to my arrest."

"General," Cody warned, taking off his helmet to glare at him. "What are you going to do?"

"Pick a fight," he said with a grin at the scowl Cody gave him, "I'm making a lot of unfounded accusations that I know to be true. I'm not going to ask you to join me but if this ends the way I hope it will and you don't want me to leave you behind then signal to me," he said in a rush. He looked at Rex, "I would prefer, Rex, if you stayed with Anakin but you don't have to. The Republic doesn't have the resources to go after an entire battalion if they just so happen to desert. Anakin will want to follow me but not if it means being branded as a traitor to the Republic."

" _Sir,_ " Cody said, a tinge of anger to his voice.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin called from up ahead.

They hadn't noticed Ben's distress because he had been folding away his Force presence, but the troops had been watching his shoulders tighten, his body language.

"Obi-Wan, what's the problem?" Mace asked.

Ben shook his head, "Apologies, I just had a question about the 212th."

Mace sighed, "That's all well and good but the sooner we get this done the sooner we can leave."

Ben smiled, "Of course." And stepped forward about to ruin everybody's day.

* * *

Anakin was relieved that today was just pictures and a brief synopsis for the press rather than a full press briefing.

This was a pretty clear victory for the Republic, even if both Zygerria and Kiros weren't a part of the Republic. Which of course, was why there weren't a lot of questions, just oh look, The Hero With No Fear, General Kenobi, the clone officers, some Council members, the High Chancellor, freeing slaves, hooray!

That freeing slaves felt like it should be the sole purpose of the Jedi, well, that was just Anakin's personal opinion.

Obi-Wan seemed strangely cheerful, he was actually smiling for the cameras.

He guessed his former Master must have felt the same.

Of course, after the pictures, came the meeting.

Anakin was grateful it was just Palpatine and the Senator from Chandrila. Mon Mothma was one of Padme's friends and he spared her a smile as they all began to discuss 'the current state of affairs.' Mon was there because she had been sitting in on some 'peaceful' separatist union discussions.

But even Palpatine could draw things out, and Anakin's attention was wavering.

Until Obi-Wan interrupted the Chancellor, "What is the point of that? Chancellor, this a galactic civil war, the goal should be to end it not win it. We are a Republic, not an Empire, if we continue the war like this it will last a hundred years."

Everyone stopped to look at him. Palpatine's eyes were wide with surprise.

"General Kenobi, I assure you, the quickest way to end this war is to win it."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "No, the quickest way to have won this war was never to have started it, to begin with, and to let the Separatists secede from the Republic that was no longer serving it. Your own homeworld was being starved out, under siege. And the only recourse the Republic gave was sending two Jedi to _talk_ with the Trading Federation."

Palpatine frowned at him, "Yes, and that was why I was elected."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed snidely, "And how many sympathetic votes did you garner from that little exploit?"

Anakin gaped at his Master, even the other Council members were rendered speechless.

Palpatine recovered first, "You were one of the Jedi assigned on that mission, surely you should have requested mor-"

"Save it, the entire venture was a shabacle, Naboo saved itself. Padme saved her people, not me, not Qui-Gon, not the Republic, not _you,_ but the Queen. The lone fourteen year old girl made queen who saw an opportunity to bring peace between two peoples and won sovereignty of her entire planet. What do you think the Separatists are really fighting for? Why did you think Dooku left the Order? It wasn't to create a Sith empire, it was to be free from the Republic's corruption."

Mace coughed.

Anakin thought his jaw would unhinge, he had heard these ideas before of course, but never from Obi-Wan, least of all in front of the kriffing Chancellor. And Obi-Wan had never challenged authority like this before.

Okay, well, he had a few weeks ago what with bringing Luke into the Order and all, but by the karking suns, Obi-Wan was speaking treason.

"And what do you know of Dooku's departure, Master Kenobi?" Palpatine asked, his voice not half so friendly.

"I know only the report that exists in the Temple archives, that Dooku left because the Republic and the Council sent his apprentice and myself into a warzone without any sort of back up. Like they had done on other missions to war zones throughout the decades," Obi-Wan said with irritation.

"You survived," Palpatine said, a bit coldly.

"Yes, we did but others in similar circumstances haven't been so lucky, in the last fifty years Jedi have been dying on missions more than in previous centuries. Where are the Republic Guard, Chancellor? Where are the Republic's police? Even here on Coruscant, it is only the droids, the Jedi, and your personal guard. Where was the Republic's army when slavery and pirates started encroaching on Republic territory? Where was the Republic army when planets in their purview went to war with each other?" Ben asked, gesturing with his arms to indicate the area around him.

Palpatine levelled him with a hard look that would have quelled Anakin if it had been directed at him, "That's what the Jedi are for."

Obi-Wan scoffed, "Ten thousand Knights, the Force as their ally or otherwise, was never going to be enough to check over twenty-four thousand systems. And we were trained as diplomats, how to defend ourselves and others. The Jedi haven't been ready for galactic warfare in hundreds if not thousands of years!"

Palpatine kept his voice very even, "That's why we passed the bill for the clon-"

"Yes, to buy a slave army, great alternative. And we the Jedi, couldn't say no, because if we had, you would have let us die on the frontlines and signed the bill anyway."

"Better than mach-" Palpatine started.

But again Obi-Wan interrupted him, "How is letting living souls better than using technology? Yes, our troopers are better warriors but they are still dying for a Republic that they are only a part of because of a budget sheet."

Palpatine stood, "And where were these complaints years ago?"

"Oh please, you bantha-chewing-cud, none of the Council advised you to start this war, our 'complaints' have been being silenced for some time now."

 _Did Obi-Wan just call Palpatine a bantha-chewing-cud?_ Anakin wondered completely bewildered.

Mace was looking on in a sort of detached horror. Yoda was silent, his eyes flicking between the two angry men and Plo and the clones just stood in unreadable silence.

"The battle of Geonosis happened to save you," Palpatine snapped.

"Then you should have let us die! Our lives were not worth the _millions_ who have died! _My_ life was not worth the brothers and sisters I lost that day!"

Guilt swept Anakin as he realized how much Obi-Wan meant that for himself. He really wouldn't have wanted to have been saved like that. Force help them, how much had Obi-Wan been keeping bottled up all these years?

"If the Separatists really wanted peace," Palpatine said, clearly trying to restrain himself, "then they wouldn't have been a terrorist attack-"

"Which we never looked into fully," Obi-Wan cut in, "You stopped us from doing a full investigation when that vote failed to pass."

"Dooku claimed the attack!"

"No, he responded to the death of Senator Mina Bonteri." Obi-Wan continued relentlessly.

"Dooku-"

"Dooku's actions don't make much sense," Obi-Wan said, "I'll concede that, after all, it was him who green lighted the creation of the clone army twelve years ago."

Everyone froze.

Palpatine's eyes widening was almost comical.

"What?" Anakin managed, "Obi-Wan, what in the worlds are you talking about?"

" _You_ reported that it was Master Sifo-Dyas, a council member, a Jedi Master," Palpatine said.

"Yes, I did but Sifo-Dyas was one of Dooku's closest friends, and he killed him. And the initial timeline the Kaminoins gave us just doesn't quite line up to Sifo-Dyas's death. You see, he was dead before the final permissions were signed."

Palpatine sat back down, "This is disturbing news."

"Yes, disturbing," Obi-Wan said dryly, looking at Palpatine as if he saw a particularly ugly insect.

"Obi-Wan," Mace warned.

But Obi-Wan seemed ready to break out all the conspiracy theories today, "And while we are talking about Dooku's friends, let's discuss your relationship to the man, shall we?"

Palpatine looked up at him sharply, "What are you talking about?"

"You really needed to get better at deleting videographic evidence, lunch meetings outside the senate district before and after Dooku's departure from the Order. Before and after your election."

Palpatine glared up at Obi-Wan, "What are you implying, Jedi?"

Obi-Wan smirked, "Just out of anyone in the galaxy, the only person I can really see benefitting from this war, is... well, you, Chancellor."

"Obi-Wan, that's ridiculous," Anakin said, "What has gotten into you?"

"Are your sympathies with the Separatists now?" Palpatine asked Obi-Wan, the man's endless patience seeming to come to end.

"I'm saying, if Dooku really wanted freedom for his systems, he could have done so without that attack on Coruscanti power plant. But perhaps his goal is just to kill the Jedi, which he is slowly but surely succeeding in doing, or perhaps his goal is breaking the Republic completely as we rot from the top down. Yet the only thing that stands out to me for certain, is what you gain here. I mean how many years now have you exceeded past the Chancellorship term limit?"

Palpatine stood, slapping his hands down at his desk, "How dare you?"

Obi-Wan smiled, but there was something like hatred in his eyes, "Because honestly, the Jedi might not have been prepared for this war, but between us and the troopers we have found our balance, if you didn't keep interfering we might have beaten Dooku a year ago."

"Interfering!?" Palpatine exclaimed, "Who do you think gives you your marching orders?"

"Exactly," Obi-Wan said with false cheer, "Always feeding us information, often without clear explanations of where you got that information. And then the stupid things you do that set us back every few months."

Palpatine's face went red, and he spoke in such a low tone that Anakin felt a chill go down his spine, he swore he almost felt the Force itself tremble. "You go too far, Jedi."

"I mean it was your decision to bring the Zillo Beast to Coruscant, wasn't it? After Mace and Anakin went to all that trouble to save it, after Mace told you repeatedly that we didn't have the resources to keep it contained. Nevermind how inhumane it was to bring it here. What kind of experiments did you want to do on it anyway? What happened to its remains? What purpose could you have in keeping a hide that would repel a lightsaber strike?"

"You are overstepping, Keno-"

"I mean really, that was the stupidest thing I have ever seen and I was Anakin's Master."

Anakin was too concerned with Palpatine's reaction to respond to that jibe. Anakin had known Palpatine since joining the Order, and he had always been so calm, so patient, but Anakin had never seen someone antagonize him like this either.

Why weren't the other Master's saying anything?

Anakin glanced at Mace, whose lips were in a thin line.

Anakin looked back at Obi-Wan, remembering what he himself had said about his Master, that he was like Dooku.

That Obi-Wan was a wordsmith, and when he engaged someone in battle, the fight was won and lost in the mind of his opponent.

He had brought up the Zillo Beast when Mace would definitely have intervened, but now it was too late, because the fallout was already coming.

"I am demoting you, Kenobi," Palpatine said, "Clearly if you have such issues with my leadership then you can't be trusted to lead _my_ army."

"Oh, good, maybe I can have some time to sleep now. Maybe I will actually have time to screen your reports for errors that will cost us thousands of lives."

Palpatine gritted his teeth, "What part of demotion aren't you getting?"

"The part where you think you can demote me in the eyes of my men. No matter what you do, I will always be a Master Jedi. And I have always preferred being Master Kenobi to General anyway. I didn't devote my life to the Order to die in a politician's plots of delusions of grandeur," Obi-Wan said with such disdain that Anakin winced.

Palpatine looked on the cusp of seething, "Is that what you think? I am the leader of the Republic, _I am_ the Senate."

Obi-Wan laughed, "You're a would-be-dictator that the Republic will reject once they realize that this war is entirely your fault. After all, why would Dooku make an army to defeat himself? He's your stalking horse, while you carve up more power for yourself under the guise of 'war time measures'."

Palpatine took a breath, but his blue eyes still glimmered with fury as he said, "The Jedi Order is under command of the Senate, and _I_ demand that you, Obi-Wan Kenobi, be stripped of your Jedi status and be cast from the Order."

Anakin couldn't breathe, the world seemed to freeze around him.

"No, do this, you cannot," Yoda said, "punish, Obi-Wan, we can, but the power to cast him out, you do not have."

Palpatine looked down at Yoda, "Are you all traitors then? Only Anakin has expressed his disbelief."

"Hmm," Yoda hummed, "listen we did. Accusations he posed, proof they need."

"Proof?" Palpatine questioned, "no, we will not give credence to a Separatist's words. Pack your things Kenobi, either go into exile quietly or I will have you arrested for treason."

 _Yeah,_ Anakin thought sardonically, _like there is any court in the Republic that could find actual fault in General Obi-Wan Kenobi._

But Palpatine was the Chancellor, legally, he had the power to maybe get Obi-Wan thrown in prison.

Anakin stepped toward Obi-Wan, "Now wait a moment-"

Obi-Wan touched Anakin's shoulder, "It's alright, my old Padawan, if the Chancellor wants to take responsibility for the Jedi, then let him."

Anakin glanced at Palpatine in time to see his righteous fury falter.

_What game is Obi-Wan playing at?_

Obi-Wan unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and handed it to Anakin, "Take care of this for me, our paths will cross again, I'm guessing sooner than you might think. And remember, always listen to Padme, she's your better half for a reason."

Anakin startled, did Obi-Wan just say what he thought he said?

Luckily, Mace was distracted by other matters, "Obi-Wan, why?"

Obi-Wan smiled at him, "Because I'm done flying my sisters and my brothers, clone and Jedi alike into death's arms. We are better than this, Mace, more than this. And so once was the Republic."

Mace nodded.

Master Plo said idly, "Well, this will be difficult to cover up."

Obi-Wan smiled brilliantly at him, "You mean the High Chancellor losing his temper at one of the Republic's most beloved High General's on the eve of one of our greatest military and moral victories? Thus revealing that he has the power to expel Jedi from their Order at a whim without the rest of the Senate's awareness or approval, making him the true power of the Republic? No, I don't imagine that will be easy to cover up." He flashed that smile at Palpatine who had gone very pale, "Good luck with that."

And then Obi-Wan left, Cody, and strangely, Appo, went with him.

Leaving Anakin frozen with his Master's lightsaber in his hand, wondering what by all the kriffing stars in space had just happened.

* * *

AN: Did Obi-Wan just through a conspiracy theory in Palp's face while calling him a selfish idiot? Yes, he did.

Thoughts, reactions, flooffy banthas, or feedback? Pretty please?


	6. The Lies We Tell

As Ben left, he whispered to Appo and Cody, "Stand as if you are escorting me forcibly from the building."

They exchanged a look before bracketing him.

Cody gave his shoulder a light shove as they passed the reporters and Ben stumbled forward as if Cody had used real force. Ben rounded his shoulders slightly, letting sorrow and humiliation take over his features.

Palpatine wasn't the only one who could act.

"General Kenobi," a press member said, stepping in front of them. Cody and Appo caught Ben by the upper arm as if holding him in place, as if warning him not to engage.

Force bless the clones.

"General Kenobi, are you alright?" asked the reporter with a concerned tone and a hungry look.

Ben shook his head, and said softly, "No longer a general, not anymore."

"I'm sorry what was that?" the reporter asked as others swarmed around them.

"I am no longer a general in the GAR," he said louder but bowing his head, almost but not quite, slumping into the hands that held him.

"Master Kenobi-" I reporter began.

He looked up sharply, right into the recording face of a holocamera. "I'm not that either," he let his voice tremble a tad, letting the sorrow of the years of his life fill him, "the Chancellor has expelled me from the Jedi Order."

There was a pause then the questions exploded around them, like entering a rowdy cantina.

One question was repeated over and over again.

" _But why?"_

Ben answered in a robotic tone, as if too shocked to answer with real emotion, but he let the sorrow remain on his face. "I disagreed with Palpatine in prolonging the war and voiced my concerns that forcing the Jedi onto the field of battle was unjust. We were meant to rebuild not destroy in times of war. The final straw seemed to be over the troopers' citizen status. As it stands, the clones are not people of the Republic they are dying for."

And just like that, the cards were played.

Palpatine thought himself a genius, an unstoppable force, but power wasn't everything.

Cody ordered everyone back, "Move, the Chancellor has exiled this man from the Republic."

Ben raised his head, but kept his eyes downcast, a leader of the Republic, now a political exile because he dared to challenge the Chancellor in a private meeting.

The media was going to eat Palpatine alive.

* * *

Padme adored Obi-Wan's son.

Luke was by far the kindest person she had ever met from Tatooine. Not that Anakin and his mother hadn't been generous, not that the Lars had been unkind to them, but Luke was just…

He was sunshine, radiant. He reminded her of Anakin if Anakin had been spared every hardship in his life.

She had a hard time not smirking at Ahsoka who was clearly noticing Luke's charms. The boy was just so…

Was it possible to be innocent and noble in the same breath, self assured yet humble?

Either way, she saw the inner peace he had, perhaps not as polished as Obi-Wan, but it was an aspect of Luke's and Obi-Wan's personality that Anakin had never been able to replicate.

Not that she would have her husband any other way, but she thought that if she had a son, she would like him to be like Luke.

And Obi-Wan would be just as good an uncle as a father.

But she did have to wonder what Satine would think about Obi-Wan's having a son. Ever since Anakin had joked with her that Obi-Wan had a girlfriend, Padme had sought Satine out.

One thing had to had led to another, and Duchess Satine Kryze was the only person who now knew that she and Anakin were married. Padme hadn't told Anakin that she had shared their secret, because Padme had needed someone to confide in but she didn't want to stress Anakin out more than he already was. And not only was Satine trustworthy, but she truly empathized.

"So Padme, when did you become the Senator of Naboo?" Luke asked with great interest.

She smiled at him, "Before the start of the war, I was actually the queen of Naboo and my successor asked me to replace Senator Palpatine when he was elected Chancellor."

"You were a queen?" he asked, astonished, before he made a face, "Palpatine is from Naboo too?"

She laughed, "Yes, he is, he was a much beloved Senator. His were big shoes to fill."

Luke scowled, "I'm sure you are a thousand times better than he could ever hope to be."

Padme was a bit startled by his tone.

Ahsoka asked, "You don't like Chancellor Palpatine?"

Luke shook his head, "Of course not! I mean…" he faltered. "Things aren't exactly great for the planets out of the Republic currently, and I don't really believe in this war."

Padme felt her brows shoot up, because while Obi-Wan was typically quiet on the politics of the war, Anakin certainly had strong views.

Strong views that entirely supported the Republic, even while her own were more sympathetic to the planets siding with the Separatists.

Views that had led her to have doubts about Palpatine, doubts that had been growing for years, but she had yet to meet a Jedi who might agree with her.

Bail leaned back, but his eyes were sharp and intent on Luke's every motion, "What about Palpatine don't you like?"

Luke looked uncertain but said, "He's a dictator right? He's the one who signed the bill for the clones and this war is forcing systems to join a government. The Outer Rim can take care of itself, and if a government comes in that's going to allow slave and illegal trade to continue, well the Core worlds can keep their politics."

"Yet you are fighting in this war," Bail said carefully, letting the dictator remark pass, but she knew Bail wouldn't forget it.

Luke shrugged, "The Separatists aren't better, but that doesn't mean I have to like the Chancellor just because I don't like the opposing side."

"Some would call him a very fair man," Padme said, testing the waters.

Luke frowned, "Do you trust him?"

She smiled, "I'm a politician, Luke, trust is a tenuous thing. But I agree with you, the nature of this war… I would rather the fighting stop."

Ahsoka chewed her lip, and said softly, "I wish it would end too, there's been a lot of needless death."

"I heard you saved your homeworld, Ahsoka, you must have made your people very proud," Padme told her.

Ahsoka straightened, and then enthused, "It was Obi-Wan, we got there before anyone was in danger at all! Dooku ran away from us, the coward."

Luke was grinning, "Your aim is scary good."

Ashoka smiled back at him, "Says the guy who kept up with my Master." She turned to Padme, "Luke flew an ARC-170 with Appo and Fives, and flew as well Anakin. I mean honestly, it was insane. I don't know which of them would win in a podrace."

Padme raised her brows, "Quite the compliment, Luke. Anakin won the Boonta Eve Classic when he was nine years old."

Luke gaped at her, "No way, no way! That was him? The first human to ever win it?"

Ahsoka elbowed him, "Save the praise for Skyguy, he'll tell you _all_ about in painful detail."

"Painful?" Luke exclaimed, "Are you kidding? I would feel cheated if he left anything out. I just mean… wow. I wanted to race it but my uncle would have actually killed me."

Padme laughed, "I don't imagine your father would have been too impressed either, Obi-Wan hates flying."

Luke shook his head, "I guess he had to have some faults, huh?"

It was so something Ani would say that it made her laugh again.

Ahsoka grinned, "Padme was elected queen when she was fourteen."

Awe filled Luke's blue eyes, and Padme was struck, almost jarringly when she realized that his eyes were the exact same shade of blue and even the same shape as Ani's. She almost didn't hear him say, "That's completely incredible, I cannot imagine the work that you would have had to do for that."

Bail smiled, "Padme is quite exceptional, her people saw it first, and then she showed the entire galaxy."

Padme couldn't not flush, such a compliment coming from Bail was no small thing.

Bail's fond smile fell, however, when a ping sounded on his datapad. It was the type of ping that usually heralded a news break that involved an assassination attempt.

She and Ahsoka instantly went on alert even as Luke looked on with interest.

Padme watched Bail's face as he read over the article.

His brows shot up, and his mouth made a little 'o' before he appeared to reread the article.

He looked up at Luke, and signalled with a hand for the bill.

"Luke, you aren't a ranking officer in the army you said, correct? You're just Obi-Wan's Padawan?" Bail asked.

"Yes," Luke said frowning, "but what-"

"We need to get you to Obi-Wan's side, now."

"What's happened?" Ahsoka asked, "Is everyone alright, is Master Kenobi-"

"He's been exiled from the Jedi Order and the Republic by the Chancellor."

Ahsoka incomprehension mirrored Padme's.

"That's- that's not possible," Ahsoka said, "The Chancellor can't do that. He- the Jedi have their own court."

"But the Chancellor outranks everyone in the Order," Bail said, frowning at the screen, "Not that I've ever heard of this done before. Certainly not without the Senate's approval."

"But why?" Padme asked, "He's a Council member, a Master Jedi, he's the single best High General in the entire GAR! What could he have possibly done to get exiled?"

Padme was furious, she couldn't imagine Ani was going through right now.

"According to the press, he accused Palpatine of prolonging the war for his own gain while forcing the Jedi to fight despite their reservations to the war's goals. Furthermore, he also said that the Chancellor was denying the troops citizenship despite their dying for the Galactic Republic."

Padme blinked, "He…"

Knowing Obi-Wan, he hadn't phrased it like that.

By the stars…

"Luke, come on, this could get ugly fast," she said, standing, the waiter barely having time to swipe Bail's account code before they were hailing their escort. The good thing about terrace dining was its easy escape routes.

Ahsoka was shaking her head, "This isn't good, this isn't good. We can't lose General Kenobi."

"We aren't losing him," Bail said firmly, "the Chancellor does not have the power to do this, not without the support of the Senate."

"It could take months to undo this edict," Padme said regretfully, picking up her skirts in a fist as she took Luke's hand that he offered to steady her as she stepped onto the hovercraft.

He caught her as Bail urged their driver to hurry and the driver took it as a license to speed.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Padme nodded.

While Ahsoka noted, "Luke, you don't seem at all shocked by this."

Luke shrugged, "He's Crazy Old Ben, his being a Jedi and General at all is more surprising to me than his calling out the Chancellor on corruption."

Bail looked at him, "You were saying you didn't like Palpatine, was this because of what your father told you?"

Luke shook his head, "No, it's because-"

"Luke!"

They all turned to see a speeder bike following underneath them.

"Luke, jump," Obi-Wan called to his son.

Luke turned to her and Bail, bowing his head to them, he said, "It was really nice to meet you both."

Then he jumped, landing behind Obi-Wan clutching the man's shoulders to keep from falling.

"Bye Ahsoka!" Luke called up to her.

"Master Kenobi!" Ahsoka shouted.

Obi-Wan rose the bike up, "Take care of your Master, Padawan Tano, we will meet again." He caught Padme's gaze, "I told Anakin he's under your personal command, my lady, do hold him to it. You're the sensible one of the pair." He soluted Bail then zipped off into traffic.

"Where are they going?" Ahsoka asked.

"Somewhere where they won't get arrested," Bail answered.

They stayed on course to the Senate building. The media was in a frenzy, demanding to speak with the Chancellor and members of the Jedi Council.

"Enough!" a familiar voice rose over the crowd at the entrance, "For now, the Order takes its orders from the Senate, we are not permitted an opinion on Master Kenobi's exile." Mace's glower cleared a path as much as he did his tone.

Oh, but his word choice, _not permitted._

Padme didn't honestly want to see Palpatine's career go down in flames, but she was grateful that the mummers about the Jedi provoking this war would end.

It was now all on the Chancellor and the Senate. No more of this waffling on what 'the Jedi thought was best' because the Jedi had never actually had a vote on this war, only how the troops were dispersed, and even then, that was mainly up to the Senate too. But the Chancellor's office had been hiding behind the 'Jedi's wisdom' to get away from difficult questions over the years.

Yet as this war was becoming more unpopular by the day, Padme had truly begun to worry that people would start blaming the Jedi.

But General Obi-Wan Kenobi had drawn a line in the sand, and the rest of the Council's silence would be backing up his words.

The Jedi, as powerful and illustrious as they were, were still pawns.

The true power sat in the Senate's hands, and Palpatine had been slowly stripping the Senate of their influence making decision after decision without them because the war justified it all, his so called, 'Emergency Powers.'

But there was nothing justified in demoting General Kenobi, and there was no precedent for removing a Jedi from the Order.

The Jedi, as Ahsoka said, had their own Court. Jedi had testified before the Senate in the past, but no Jedi had ever been tried by anyone outside the Order.

Anakin appeared from behind Mace with Mon Mothma at his side.

Mon nearly ran to Padme, "We need a plan! I was there for the whole thing, I have a recording. General Kenobi spoke treason, but Padme, oh my friend, there was a shred of truth to it."

The two troopers, Rex and Jesse, stood guard around them, giving them their backs as they kept back the crowd.

Mace shook his head, and spoke in a low tone as Master Plo Koon, stood to obscure people's view of them as they, Mace, Mon, Ani, Bail, Ahsoka, and herself all but huddled together, "Be careful, Senator Mothma, what you release to the public. Releasing accusations about the Count making the clone army could turn the public against our troops."

"What!?" Padme and Ahsoka squeaked together.

Bail just went ashen.

"Shh," Anakin hushed them.

Mon continued in a rush, "I'm much more interested in what he said about the Naboo Crisis being used to get him elected and his trying to prolong this war. Master Kenobi said that the Chancellor stopped the Jedi from fully investigating the terrorist attack on the Senate when we were voting for peace. What if Palpatine was behind Senator Mina Bonteri's assassination?"

Padme felt her world shift, but she kept both her feet and her head, "We will never find proof, it's been too long now."

Mon shook her head, face resolute, "Master Kenobi said the only one benefiting from this war is Palpatine, and Padme, he's right! He's so right! No one is winning this war, the Republic breaks a little more each hour and Dooku builds an empire on quick sand, meanwhile, the Chancellor gains more and more power. Where did the clones come from? Why was someone growing an army a decade ago?"

Bail frowned, and lowered his voice, "What are you saying, Mon?"

"Is it a coincidence that the clone army began production the same year _he_ ascended to the chancellorship?"

This time Padme did feel truly weak, and Ahsoka steadied her, supporting her by the elbow as all the implications began to rise in her mind.

"Are you alright?" Ahsoka and Ani asked her together.

Padme lowered her gaze, "I was the one who helped him get elected."

"His actions are not yours," Anakin said hotly.

"What if there is a connection between Palpatine and the Trade Federation?" Mon asked.

Bail looked thoughtful, "Are you suggesting that he played Padme and engineered the Naboo Crisis… I mean there is taking advantage of circumstance and…"

Anakin cut him off, "This is not the place for this discussion."

"Senators," Mace said face dark, "Am I to assume the three of you are going to be investigating the Chancellor?"

Padme just met his dark gaze with her own.

Master Koon chuckled, "That would be a yes."

Mace glanced around, the crowd was still distracted, and theirs wasn't the only group talking conspiracy and treason, but the Jedi Master seemed to come to a snap decision, "Skywalker, Tano, protect the Senators, the Chancellor may have radical supporters and I am sure whatever Senator Mothma publishes isn't going to do much in the way of avoiding the collection of more enemies."

"Are we allowed to help them investigate?" Ahsoka asked.

Mace looked at Anakin, "It's your call, General Skywalker, I know you have a good working relationship with the Chancellor."

"Not if he used Senator Amidala and her planet for a political stunt, not if he is purposely prolonging this war, not now that he exiled my Master because Obi-Wan offended him. No, I'll help any way I can."

"Then take as many as the troops as you need from the 501st. The rest of your battalion send to the Temple, they can help the Temple guard. The Jedi stand with the clones, no matter what story is spun out of this mess we will not be turned against the men who are giving not just their lives but everything they are or might be for the Republic," Mace nearly growled, before muttering, "I hate politics."

"Careful, Mace," Master Koon warned, "Hate leads to the Dark Side."

"The Force as my ally, I will throw my own name in for Chancellor if this war turns out to be a farce. I thought the Jedi obeying the Senate was the best we could be, democracy is the will of the people, but if the Republic is too corrupt that even the Chancellor…" he shook his head and sighed, "It is hard to imagine the Jedi could do worse than this."

Anakin was staring at Mace in amazement.

Padme hid a smile, Ani had said for years now that they should go back to the way things had been in the High Republic, when the Jedi led.

Not that the Jedi were so incorruptible, just look at Dooku, but maybe someone who was accountable to a people who could gain nothing from the likes of the Trade Federation or the Banking Clan, maybe someone who was beholden to not just the people of the Republic, but a Force that literally encompassed all life in the galaxy might have a shot at being more trustworthy than what they had now.

But Bail was right too when he warned, "Don't let anyone hear you say that, Master, let the heat stay on the Chancellor, if he is innocent this will blow over, and even if it doesn't, he's beyond his term."

Mace nodded, "May the Force be with you all."

"And with you," they chorused back as Master Koon and Mace left them.

As they loaded back onto the transport, headed to her apartments as she was the one who had guest rooms, she asked Ani in a low voice, "I thought you might leave with Obi-Wan."

They were behind everyone but Rex who was looking out at the city for possible threats.

Ani bent to whisper into the shell of her, "But I couldn't leave the Republic, because I could never leave you."

She looked up at him, and wished more than anything that she could pull him into a kiss.

He gave her that self-assured smile as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, and was thinking of doing much to her in turn than a simple kiss.

She loved him so much that she felt as if her heart might burst.

His hand brushed her back ever so gently, ever so briefly, it should have been nothing, but in that small gesture, she felt more loved and cherished than any woman in the entire galaxy.

* * *

Mace stood before a broadcaster, in one of the larger halls of the Temple with a few hundred troops present. It had been more than a day and the Senate was in an uproar and there were picketers outside the Senate offices demanding an end to the war.

Meanwhile, the Chancellor had sent them a formal question about the status of the 212th Battalion that had left with Obi-Wan.

Mace knew this message would get back to the Chancellor in some fashion or another, but though the likelihood of having the clones rebel against the Jedi was really slim, he still wasn't going to let this put doubt into the army.

Only Dooku would benefit there.

"By now, I'm sure everyone has had some word of the Chancellor's dismissal of General Kenobi and subsequently the 212th leaving orbit of Coruscant. It remains true that the Jedi Order and this army are under command of the Republic and it's representing body," he took a breath.

"But no Chancellor has ever had the audacity to bypass the High Council to dismiss a Jedi from the Order. Until the full Senate approves or dismisses this sentence, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is still seen as a member of this Order, and the 212th Battalion that joined their General is being temporarily given to the command of Padawan Luke Kenobi who is with them. Your brothers are not deserters. Your brothers will not be punished in any way nor will they be branded as traitors."

The clones physically present for this announcement let out a sigh of relief that Mace felt in the Force, "So while the Chancellor soothes his ego, our priority will remain focused on combating the Separatist forces. May the Force be with you all."

"And with you, Sir," came a chorus from the troops, complete with a solute and heel snap.

Mace spoke grimly to the Council Members at his side, "Even if we are scattered across the galaxy we shall not be divided."

* * *

Sidious was going to murder Kenobi.

He wanted to do it personally, but he knew he could not afford it now, not with every eye on him, not with the entire Senate after him.

Yes, he still held the majority. But the popularity he had been cultivating had begun to waver.

So far, no one had found proof.

And so far, no one had found evidence to firmly counter any evidence.

How had Kenobi figured it all out?

The call he had been waiting for clicked over, and Dooku drawled, "Was antagonizing one of the most beloved Generals of the Republic a part of the plan that I was unaware of? Or was your spectacular fall in public opinion and taking on the ignorance of the Jedi a simple lapse of judgement?"

Palpatine snarled, "Apprentice, watch your tone."

But the hologram wasn't afraid of him, "I must say, I am pleased with the lessons Qui-Gon was able to pass down to his own apprentice even if he never quite mastered them himself. I hear Kenobi played you like a bandfill, he never raised a hand just-"

"He knows!" Palpatine cut him off, "Somehow, he knows it all. About your involvement with the clones, the purpose of the war, the Zillo Beast. About our lunches before you permanently settled in Serreno. He knew it all."

Dooku stroked his beard, "Perhaps he guessed."

"Guessed!?" Palpatine roared, fighting to keep his presence in the Force diminished lest the entire Jedi Order come swarming down on him. "How could he possibly-"

"We weren't so careful in the beginning, Darth Sidious," Dooku said, "or at least I wasn't. I was not so wholly turned in the beginning that I was overly conscious of erasing my tracks. If Obi-Wan was investigating me, though I don't know when he would have had the time to, he could have discovered our involvement with each other. He could have connected the threads. The press seems to have adaptly honed in on the fact that you are the only one benefitting from the war."

"That is not the narrative we had invented."

"No, you've made the Separatists evil for evil's sake. Attractive if you are looking for a scapegoat, but not nearly so interesting as a single powerful politician gaming the system. Not after years of this endless warfare with that same boring narrative. And who doesn't like to watch the mighty fall?"

"Yes, but the discontent was supposed to fall on the Jedi."

"Well, that was working until you showed yourself as the Jedi Order's puppeteer."

Palpatine paced in his private office, "How did Kenobi know to even try to attempt to connect the dots?"

Dooku stared at him wordlessly.

Palpatine paused, "What, what have I missed, Apprentice? What did Kenobi stumble over?"

Dooku shook his head slightly, "Perhaps you forget, _Master_ , that you commanded me to taunt Kenobi when he was in my custody on Geonosis. You told me to reveal to him that 'hundreds of senators are now under the influence of a Dark Lord called Darth Sidious.'"

_Kriff._

Sidious shook his head, "He shouldn't have ever believed that, the Jedi are blind."

"He didn't then, but I am not so surprised that he believes me now. I warned you that such a move was inviting trouble."

"We can still spin this to our advantage, if Kenobi dies by Separatist hands then his rumours will die with him."

"I am not so certai-"

Sidious spoke over him, "The 212th Battalion left with him, the public will begin to doubt the armour, the public will-"

Dooku laughed.

Sidious paused, "How dare you?"

Dooku shook his head, "Have you truly not heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The 212th is no longer under command of _General_ Kenobi. It is no longer the _Master_ , but the younger who commands."

Sidious gritted his teeth, "What are you talking about?"

"You need better spies."

"Speak, Apprentice mine, or next time we meet, I will reintroduce you to the obedience an Apprentice shows his Sith Lord."

Even through the hologram, Sidious could still see the mirth in the Count's eyes, "Of course, forgive me. But a new initiate was accepted by the Temple at the tender age of nineteen."

Sidious frowned, "Why would they do that?"

"Because he is Obi-Wan Kenobi's son. Padawan Luke Kenobi, Commander Kenobi now leads the 212th."

Sidious went very still, "Obi-Wan Kenobi has a son?"

Oh, Anakin would feel _so_ betrayed. How delicious.

But he couldn't savour the potential of such a tool because Dooku continued, "The 212th might be harbouring a fugitive, but your exiling of Obi-Wan was rather vague. By your word alone, he is no longer affiliated with the Order, but one could interpret your word as prohibiting him from Coruscant rather than any territory within the Republic. It isn't as if you put it into writing, it's all hearsay."

Sidious gritted his teeth, he couldn't release an official report without it immediately being brought before a Senate assembly. Nor did he have any wish to put Kenobi's words into data.

Not that Mon Mothma and her friends weren't causing him grief anyway, but at least they hadn't been stupid enough to try and expose his relationship with Dooku.

On one hand, if they did, he could easily deflect it on the Jedi, but on the other, that rumour would destroy him in the Senate, he would never be reelected if that rumour became widely known.

He could recover from being accused of prolonging the war, but even he wasn't clever enough to skate being blamed for inventing the war with Dooku.

"Break him," Sidious said.

"Pardon?" Dooku asked.

"Capture Kenobi's son and torture him into insanity. If the Jedi Master wants to play with fire, then we will burn his world down around him."

Dooku smiled, "Of course, M'Lord."

When Dooku had signed off, Sidious worried that Dooku might be after a new apprentice.

Not that it mattered, among the Jedi, no one equalled Anakin Skywalker, and without his Master around to protect him, Little Ani was easier prey than ever.

Abandoned by his Master, lied to about Kenobi's personal attachment while he had berated Anakin for years about his feelings.

No, Kenobi had just gifted him with both his first apprentice and his first born.

Sidious smiled to himself as he sat down, maybe some good had come of this after all. Sidious had gained new toys, and the Order had lost one of its brightest leaders.

The Force had not sided with the Jedi yet.

* * *

Cody was somewhat jittery.

He had just left the Republic.

He had just deserted.

He and his brothers of the 212th had left the Republic.

And they had stolen a Star Destroyer, not that it wasn't their Star Destroyer but still…

He was sitting on a bench beside General Kenobi, and Cody was only sitting because his General had ordered it.

They were currently on course to Ilum.

And they were all pretty sure it would be allowed.

Pretty sure.

His mind was swimming with doubts, but before them stood Padawan Kenobi, smiling and completely oblivious to the treason about him.

"So, Jedi training?" he asked.

General Kenobi smiled up at him, leaning back against the wall more relaxed than Cody had ever seen him.

"We don't have any lightsabers, so I'm afraid it will be endurance training."

"Are you going to place me with another squad?"

The General shook his head, "No, that won't be necessary. Appo still needs to find who he's most comfortable with and your military training will be different than what is required of you to become a Jedi."

Cody glanced at Appo who was the only non-212th brother among them. He had followed their General because of Luke Kenobi. Appo looked more stressed than Cody felt.

He couldn't imagine abandoning General Kenobi to follow General Skywalker if their positions had been reversed.

Or maybe he would have for the General's Padawan, Commander Tano had easily won everyone over. For her, Cody would probably break the rules.

Maybe.

He shook his head, who was he?

Commander Cody, the Rule Breaker.

He winced, he didn't know how his General could be so calm about this.

"So what am I doing then?" Luke asked.

The General smiled, "I want you to learn every troopers' name on this vessel."

Luke blinked at him, "Okay…"

"While running, if anyone stops to talk to you, jog in place, if you come across an officer, do a flip."

"A flip?" Luke repeated, confused.

"Back flip, front flip, cartwheel, if you get really tired, do a tuck and roll," General Kenobi said with a smile.

Cody had to fight to keep his expression even.

Luke looked perturbed, "Did you make Anakin do this?"

"Of course not," General Kenobi said, grinning like a crazy person, "that would have been child-abuse, but you're not a child. So hop to it."

Luke hesitated, and Cody raised his brows expectantly.

No way could the farm boy do the type of flips he had seen Commander Tano do.

But Luke only grinned, "Commander Cody," backflip, "Luitantant Appo," second backflip, before racing off with the enthusiasm of a child.

Jedi were weird.

Cody opened his com to the open frequency, "Padawan Kenobi is coming around to ask for all of your names."

The General leaned in to say, "Feel free to tease him."

Cody swallowed a smile, "That was the General, signing off."

Appo snorted, "He's not going to make it through a third of the ship."

The General closed his eyes, tilting his head back against the wall, "We have a few weeks or more before we reach Ilum."

They were circling the Core worlds to arrive at Ilum from the opposite direction that anyone might expect and that would avoid any conflict zones. It would threaten their rations and fuel supplies but the General seemed confident that the base on Ilum wouldn't leave them without help.

"Still a bit sadistic," Appo remarked. "Even I don't know everyone's names in the 501st. Memorizing thousands of names is no small thing."

Ben shrugged, "It's easy enough to tell a small group of the troops a part, but in order to tell the entire Battalion apart, he'll have to use the Force and remember your lights within it to actually learn everyone's names. Which is the point."

"The running and the flipping?" Appo asked.

Ben smiled, "You should have seen Ahsoka when she was a youngling. Master Ali-Alann had to bring her to the Padawan obstacle courses to even challenge her as she did laps."

Cody smiled at that even as he studied his General's face. He looked exhausted, older, yet seemingly more relaxed.

Or maybe he was just so tired that he didn't have the energy to be stressed.

Without opening his eyes, the General said, "I really must thank you both again for coming with Luke and me, you did not have to."

"We have followed you into certain death before, Sir," Cody said, "What's a little treason?"

Appo chuckled at that, "Careful Commander, you're starting to sound like Rex."

The General's lips quirked up, but he said nothing.

They were quiet for a time, and Cody was almost certain that General Kenobi had fallen asleep, it wouldn't be the first time he had done so while sitting up.

Appo on the other side of the General sat in silence as well, staring out the windows. They were in a small viewing station, the blue lines of hyperspace casting dramatic and eerie shadows over everything.

But then the General mumbled something, as if speaking in his sleep, which was not something he was prone to doing.

"What was that, Sir?" Cody asked.

"You gave me back my lightsaber," he mumbled audibly this time, cracking his eyes open, the blue of his irises a swimming shade that Cody could not have described, "And then you shot me off the cliff. You told your men to kill me."

Cody's heart felt as if it would stop. Had Kenobi had a vision of this?

"Sir, I would never-"

The General closed his eyes and let out a long breath, "But you didn't hunt me down, you didn't stop me from leaving the planet. You knew I could have survived that fall. You knew, even then... even when you had no choices left, you were still my friend."

Cody felt panic race his heart beat, "General Obi-Wan Kenobi, I would never harm you."

The General rested his head on Cody's shoulder, "I'm still here, I'm still here…" and this time Cody knew by the way the tension in his body went slack that he had fallen asleep.

Cody had to focus on his breath to slow it.

Appo was staring at him, and mouthed, " _What was that?"_

Cody could only give him the slightest shake of his head.

He would sooner eat his own blaster than ever point a weapon at his General, much less give the order to kill.

_Even when you had no choices left, you were still my friend._

Cody shut his eyes too, _Don't you ever doubt that, Sir._

* * *

Ben tried not to laugh as Luke shivered, his lips blue after fifteen minutes on the surface.

Ben himself was entranced to feel cold like this again. It felt so good, he couldn't remember the last time he breathed in air so crisp and so clean. And where his older body might have protested, his youthful form was still harty enough to adapt.

"How, is it," Luke chittered, "possible to be this cold?"

"There are colder planets in the galaxy."

Luke turned horrified eyes to him, "Not- habitable ones."

Ben smiled, "You would be surprised where life finds a way."

Luke shook his head, "Does Anakin like ice worlds?"

"Like? No, but he prefers them to desert worlds. He hates anything that reminds him of Tatooine."

"Which is why you brought me there, right? Because he wouldn't think to look there or just happen upon me."

"That's right."

"So Anakin was your only Padawan before me?" Luke asked.

"Yes, he was," Ben said, then stopped, turning to look at Luke.

Who had stopped to fold his arms at him.

_Bantha-shit._

They were in the caves now so they had removed their goggles.

"Luke, I was-"

"So to be clear, just so we don't have any 'complicated versions of the truth', Anakin Skywalker was destined to become Darth Vader. My father was never actually dead, he was just an evil homicidal enforcer of the tyrannical Empire hellbent on enslaving the galaxy?"

Ben took a breath, then answered, "Yes."

Luke sighed, "Splendid."

Ben frowned, "I thought you would be more upset."

Luke shrugged, "I've met him now, and if you're telling me that General Skywalker who looks at his wife as if she is the entire galaxy, who treats his men like equals, who has kept his Padawan Ahsoka smiling through the horror that is this war- If you are telling that he betrays all of that to become evil, then you were right. He was dead, every part of him that mattered, that was my father and your friend, your brother, then he was dead. Or at least in my book, he would have been dead."

Ben sighed, chest aching, "Once you go down the Dark path you can never return. It eats you up and leaves you a starving thing for power and cruelty."

"Were you afraid I was going to have to face him in our time?"

"Yes."

Luke wrapped his arms around himself, "Would he have recognized me?"

"With the name Luke Skywalker, undoubtedly. But even if you had changed that Vader was the reason your Uncle, Aunt, and I didn't want you to go to the Imperial Academy, despite your academic scores and talent for flying."

Luke said nothing to this, seeming almost lost in his own thoughts.

So Ben continued, "I knew the moment I saw R2-D2 that it had caught up to us. I think Vader would have sent his men, or even come himself to Tatooine, it was no longer safe for you."

Luke frowned, "But you always intended to teach me to be a Jedi, even before we came back in time."

"Luke, a blaster would not have helped you against Darth Vader. Perhaps we could have changed your name… but even then, you weren't like your sister. You may not have realized it, but you have been using the Force to aid your whole life. Those model starfighters I used to leave for you, we all caught you a time or two racing them through the air without ever touching them. Darth Vader and Palpatine would have sensed you."

"Wait, you're the one who gifted me those? Ben, those were the only things I owned that ever meant anything to me."

Ben smiled, glad that he had gotten that right. He had perhaps put an absurd amount of thought into those little things. He always got Imperial models that were more or less accurate to scale, so in order to put them together, one would have to learn the actual pieces of the ship.

"Where would you have trained me, or would we have fought in the Rebellion?" Luke asked.

"Bail seemed to need our help for something specific, after that, we would have gone somewhere remote until your training had been completed," he said.

Luke nodded, "I'm glad we came back to the past, I'm glad it's not too late for the Jedi. Was… was it really everyone?"

"A few survived the first waves, but anyone who survived was hunted and scattered to far reaches of the galaxy. By the time you were ten years old, I doubt even ten fully Knighted Jedi were still alive. The Jedi Order fell with the Republic."

A look of determination came across Luke's features and he straightened out of his cold induced huddle, "Not this time, it won't happen again."

Ben reached out and pulled Luke into a hug, truly afraid to hope.

And Ben let go of that fear as he pulled back, "Go get lost."

Luke frowned up at him, "What?"

Ben gestured to the caves around them, "Finding a kyber crystal is a bit like finding a piece of your soul. The kyber is alive with the Force and the resonance of them will call out to you in a place like this. Listen, answer that call, and you will find your way."

Luke nodded, looked right and then left, shrugged, and went left.

Ben laughed to himself, Luke was such a conundrum of earnestness and free spirit. Ben thanked the Force that they had been given the chance to save the Jedi as opposed to placing the entire legacy of the Jedi on Luke alone.

In order to achieve the latter, Luke would have had to give up too much of himself.

Ben sighed, ready to be off on his own adventure.

Not that he was particularly worried, meditation was to him sometimes more real than waking hours.

Especially since being displaced in time.

But this was Ilum.

And Ben promptly fell down a shaft as he turned a corner and right into the heart of one of the most vivid visions he could ever recall having the misfortune of experiencing.

oOo

"Give it up, brother," Ben growled, feeling equal parts victorious as vindictive.

The Nautolan with skin as blue as his own was back peddling, dodging each saber strike from Ben's duel red sabers.

"Oenash, you came here for a weapon," Ben taunted gleefully, "I will cut you down for your weakness."

The Force writhed in Ben's mental grip, but oh, the power of it, ever building, limitless. This was _power_ , this was _freedom!_

Oenash fell, but it was a purposeful motion, as his boots came up to kick at Ben's right hand and Oenash's tendrils whirled as he caught that saber.

"Yes, so kind of you to share yours, _brother,"_ Oenash said, finding his footing on the cold stone of the caves.

Ben smirked, "You should have joined me, brother, red light compliments your eyes so well."

Oenash's expression twisted, "We were twins, Obeck, we were born with the same eyes, the same skin. Yet your eyes glow the colour of fungus."

Ben tsked, "And here I thought the Jedi had no vanity. Honestly, it is not too late, you need not die this day if you would only join me."

"It's not too late for _you_ ," Oenash pleaded, "come back with me, let go of your hate! Brother, there is still light in you!"

"Fool," Ben sneered, "You know not the powe-"

"Power for what!?" Oenash yelled as he brought down his saber on Ben's. The blades locking in a static of sound as he continued, "Kaylin is dead! Our little sister is dead! Nothing you do will bring her back!"

Ben bellowed, "Do not speak her name!" And attacked his twin with the fury of a galaxy behind him, the Force powering his every step, his every slash.

But Oenash kept pace, they had been raised together, trained together, and even with all that Ben had learned, Oenash still knew him too well.

"Obeck! Why are you doing this? Kaylin is gone and she wouldn't have wanted this. Let your suffering pass."

"You never loved her!"

"Her death killed me! But she is with the Force now, and we live, let go of your suffering, you have become it, you bring it wherever you go! What is the purpose!? Tell me when will this end? What will bring you peace?"

Ben roared, "Peace is a lie!" He struck at the stones and Oenash retreated further and further into the caves away from the red hot stones.

Rage and pain filled Ben's gut, there was no escaping it, there was no forgetting Kaylin's last breath leaving her as he held her in his arms, the ocean waves absorbing their tears.

There was no recovery, but there was vengeance, and there was the power to achieve that vengeance.

As if reading his thoughts, Oenash said, "No power in this world or the next can bring her back! Killing the-"

"You stand in my way!" Ben cut him off, beating his brother back through the caves, deeper and deeper into the depths of Ilum they went.

The sound of their blades clashing together felt deafening.

"What would be enough, Obeck! What would be enough?"

" _Your death!_ "

Oenash stumbled back and for a moment, they stood together in the dark, red light stripping the hues from their skin so that red was the only colour between them.

"If that is what you truly desire," Oenash said, raising his blade before him in a sentinel's position.

The Force roared, and Ben brought his blade around in an arch, both expecting Oenash to defend himself and knowing that he wouldn't.

Ben's deactivated saber, dropping it to clatter on the cold ground along with the hilt Oenash had taken from him as he caught his brother's bisected body before he fell.

For a moment, the world went black. Then his vision adjusted and around them, the kyber crystals glimmered like the stars at midnight.

"Was it enough, Obeck?" Oenash asked as his life bleed out from him.

"Why, brother?" Ben asked.

"Because there is still light in you… and I still love you…"

"Brother," Ben said, pressing his forehead to his twin's as he died, leaving Ben alone in this cave, in this life.

Kaylin's death had been beyond his control, but Oenash's death was his fault.

And this time they were not on their homeworld of Glee Anselm so his tears fell freely onto his brother's cheeks.

"I will find my way back to you, Oenash, Kaylin, I swear it," Obeck promised.

oOo

Ben came gasping back to his own self, his own body on his hands and knees in the same kyber strone cave he had been in during his vision.

His own face was streaked with tears and in his hands he held two crystals. He did not need to open his fists to feel their pain, to feel them bleeding.

Red crystals, bled of joy and hope.

"Healing is possible."

Ben's head jerked up to see three Force ghosts, they shimmered in the Light Side of the Force. Ben recognized the speaker as Oenash.

But it was Obeck who Ben gaped at, "That's impossible… that- it can't be done!"

It was the female, Kaylin, a slim Nautolan girl, who knelt to put a ghostly hand on his where he squeezed the Sith kyber so hard Ben thought it might draw blood.

"Where there is life, Light remains," she said, before disappearing back into the Force, her brothers fading with her.

Ben was left to meditate over the injured kyber in his hands, left to wonder if everything he thought he knew about the Light and the Dark was a lie.

Wondering how many ways he was going to discover that he had failed Anakin.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, pretty fish, or feedback, pretty please?


	7. The Suns of Tatooine

KEYnote: I wanted to give a backstory to the kyber and I ended up with that little original character narrative. Obi-Wan is Master Jedi, he is wise enough to apply any lessons he learns to his own relationships, and I think anyone who is reading SW has read enough flashbacks to movies, so I wanted to try something different.

WARNING: Short chapter, but I posted 20k this week, so enjoy.

Chapter 7 - The Suns of Tatooine

Luke was so cold he could hardly think, hardly move.

How was Ben able to handle this?

His feet dragged, his toes numb, his hands feeling like ice in his gloves. The only heat he had was his breath fed back to him in his scarf.

How could he be this cold yet feel as though he was sweating?

_Luke._

He spun. But no one was there.

Great, he was hearing things. Ben had said that he would be thrown into a vision quest.

He didn't really know what that meant.

_You cannot hide forever, Luke._

Luke shivered at that voice that echoed with some type of breathing device.

 _I will not fight you,_ his own voice reverberated off the cave walls even though he hadn't spoken.

In his mind's eye, he glimpsed a black clock in the mirrors of ice shelves.

When he blinked he saw the light of blue and red.

_There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you._

Luke picked up the pace, hoping moving would help him warm up. The ice was beautiful in its own way and he had never seen stone so dark.

He steadied his breath, he was used to running these days, and he had to focus on how the tread of his boot landed on the uncertain ground. The concentration helped keep the voices at bay.

_Obi-Wan has taught you well. You have controlled your fear... now release your anger._

Fear.

What was fear?

Luke didn't know it yet, not the way the others around him dead.

He hadn't known to fear Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen dying.

Being thrown in the past? Hadn't phased him, he was with Ben. And even now as he lost himself in these caves, he knew that no matter how far he went Ben would be able to find him.

As long as the Force was his ally, he was never alone.

_Jax down._

Luke flinched, or maybe he was hiding from it. People died in war, and he was afraid of losing this new family he was forging.

What if Ben died?

_Young fool...only now, at the end, do you understand._

Pain arched Luke's back as he fell to the ground, the impact was lost in the pain of the Force ripping through him, like bolts of electricity sparking between two charges, only worse.

So much worse; this could kill him.

He was dying.

_Only your hatred can destroy me._

Luke opened his eyes, and he was no longer in the cave but in a dark room, pleading for help from a black figure who stared at him with a lifeless face, a dark mask that could only reflect light, not give it.

Ben's voice came to him then, _The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together._

Luke closed his eyes, and let out a breath. He had the power to save himself.

 _The Force will be with you, always,_ Ben encouraged.

Luke found his feet, the pain of what he now knew as lightening forged from something dark and sickly, something twisted from the Force that should never have been, he shook off like an ill-fitting cloak.

He opened his eyes slowly as he said, _You failed, your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me._

When his gaze rose fully, he saw a sheet of ice, a mirror, his own eyes stared back at him, his scarf pulled from his face.

A shadow loomed behind him, a darkness in the Force, looming over him like a cursed fate that he might have been destined for.

He heard Uncle Owen's voice, _The boy is just like his father! If he leaves Tatooine he will become the same kind of mon-_

 _Owen,_ Aunt Beru chided, _have faith in him, he is our son too._

Luke blinked, and Padme stood before him, her reflection replacing his, she smiled at him, _I've learned to have trust in myself, and you will, too._

"But who am I?" he asked her.

But Padme was gone, and he was alone again.

So Luke closed his eyes and looked inward.

Thought of the heat of Tatooine, a place he never thought he would miss.

But he missed it terribly now.

All those years looking at the horizon. All those years he had felt alone. Unsettled, ungrounded, never understood.

But Ben understood, Ben Kenobi knew him and had always been there with him, even if Luke hadn't known it consciously.

He had never been afraid.

Which meant there was no reason to be afraid now.

He was beginning to love his birth parents, but Ben Kenobi had been the one who had been with him, always.

Just like the Force.

Luke sat down on the hot sands, letting the warmth fill his bones, the stillness of the desert clear his mind.

He wanted to be a Jedi like Ben. Centred, even in turmoil, kind and caring even when broken.

Ben had lost everything, the war, his family, his lover, his home, but he still had hope in the galaxy, still had the strength to face it all again even if the odds seemed utterly against them.

Luke wanted to be like that.

Breathing became easier, the tightness in his chest releasing him. The shadow within him was cast out of his heart by the brightness of the suns. He opened his eyes, the desert dunes of Tatooine surrounded him.

So long he had wanted to escape this place, but the desert sands were a part of his being.

A long haired Jedi appeared across from him, he too sat in meditation, his dark blue eyes shown with mischief and a great kindness.

They did not speak, there was no need to.

Others appeared around them, the Jedi of the galaxy, alive even in death, their spirits echoing in the Force, they were the individual grains of sand that made up the ocean of eroded stone.

Luke found his centre then and in doing so, he found the centre of the galaxy. All things were connected within the Force, all that lived and all who had lived were essential. And so long as the Force was with him, he would never be alone.

He had been raised in the desert, and that desert was a part of him, as he was a part of the Force. And in all the ways that mattered, he was his father's son.

He was Luke Kenobi.

When he opened his eyes, he held a completed lightsaber in his hands.

Igniting it, the saber blazed an orangy-pink light, matching the hue and intensity of the setting and rising suns of Tatooine.

* * *

AN: Thoughts or feedback, pretty please?


	8. It's a Trap

Lightsaber: Yo, y'all pink haters, I am a fine-arts painter. His lightsaber is **orange** , just with that intense fire tone of pinkish sunsets. Basically peach that isn't pastel. It is closer to red than yellow, but you wouldn't mistake it for red, but they will pick on Luke because, you-know, close enough.

KEYnote: The Massacre of the Dathomirian Witches doesn't happen, Dooku is distracted.

Chapter 8 - It's a Trap

"What happened?" was Cody's first reaction to seeing his face.

Ben sighed, "Just a vision."

Cody pointed at Luke, "I thought it was his quest."

"I needed a temporary saber as well," Ben said loftily.

He might still have tear tracks on his face, but he had managed to heal the kyber. He really needed to talk to Yoda, or better yet, Mace.

Ben was a bit warier of the Grandmaster now that he learned that Anakin had gone to him for help. Anakin had needed help, asked for it, not received it, and Yoda had left him in the dark.

It was nearly as bad as the time Yoda had stopped him from assisting Ashoka when she was framed for the Temple bombing.

The rest of the Council had barred him from so much as questioning her.

It was only on reflection of this that he realized how tightly the rest of the Council held him, how high their standards for him had been, how little they had truly trusted him.

Oh, they believed he was the 'perfect Jedi', Yoda had said as much, but only to the extent where his every move had been transparent and approved by them.

As much as Anakin thought it was a pain to be held in his shadow, Ben had been just as beholden to his own Master's shadow.

He was the Maverick's Padawan, the Padawan who almost hadn't been a Padawan then had left the Order to help in a civil war, and he was also Dooku's grandpadawan.

Yeah, so maybe his background hadn't exactly inspired faith. But still, he hadn't earned the rank of Master simply because Anakin had been knighted.

And regardless of his own circumstances, Yoda knew how much influence he had over the Jedi Order, and he had a tendency to withhold comment, as if sparing them from his approval or disapproval.

Ben wondered if Yoda understood how condemning his silence was.

Ahsoka wouldn't have been expelled from the Order if Ben had been allowed to speak, Anakin might not have fallen if Yoda had told him that Anakin was actively seeking help.

But things were different this time.

Ben looked at Luke.

The forbiddance of attachments could burn to fire crisp on Mustafar.

And Ben was really done keeping his mouth shut on problematic issues, to the extent, of course, that he didn't accidentally spark a genocide.

"Sir?"

Ben blinked behind his goggles he put on as a wind picked up, "Sorry, what was that Cody?"

"I have good news."

Ben raised his brows, "Don't keep us in suspense."

"Padawan Luke has been promoted to a Jedi Commander, and the 212th Battalion has been placed on his command. So we aren't deserters and as long as you, Sir, stay off Coruscant, your exile is considered to be respected."

Ben nodded, "That is good, as long as you recognize that Luke is still very much a cadet and still under your orders."

Cody was wearing his helmet, but Ben was pretty sure he had gotten a grin out of him, "Yes, Sir."

"So what's the bad news," Ben asked, because Cody never left it at 'good news.'

"Ilum is under siege."

Ben started jogging toward the platform, "You couldn't have led with that?"

"We have it handled, Sir, and your coms weren't working when-"

"How big is the enemy force?"

"The fleet-"

Ben cut him off as he spoke into his com, that was working now that they were back on the surface, "Land the Star Destroyer, disengage any fighter ships! I repeat, ground the Star Destroyer, ground all ships!"

"Sir?" Appo asked from his left.

Ben shook his head, and contacted the Ilum base, "I have ordered our Star Destroyer to land and all other fighters. Has help been requested?"

He was gazing up at the sky as more Separatist cruisers entered orbit. Ben had forgotten that by this time in the war, their forces had already been spread thin.

"Yes, General Kenobi, General Windu authorized two battalions to join yours. Estimated time of arrival, seven hours."

"Sir, why did you pull our men?" Cody asked.

"Because this is Ilum," Ben said, before ordering into the com, "Sentinel, ready the ion canons."

Appo nearly tripped in the snow, "Did you say canons? As in plural?"

"Ilum is one of the greatest resources of kyber in the galaxy. We don't need the reinforcements, but if Dooku wants to his sacrifice resources-" and judging by the increasing specks of light in the sky, lots and lots and lots of resources, "then there is little reason to relieve him of them."

"But why would he attack here if he knows he can't win?" Luke asked, "You said Dooku was a Jedi, wouldn't he know how well defended this system is?"

"Even one cargo box of kyber would be worth that entire fleet," Cody said.

But Ben agreed with Luke.

Why would Dooku attack-

_Their forces were spread too thin._

If a Separatist force this large could even reach Ilum they had a problem.

"Sentinel," Ben called back through his com as they began running faster in the snow, "contact the Council."

It was a trap, and a hand played one year too early.

Ben had wanted to change the future, but he was absolutely certain, he know longer knew what that future was.

* * *

Asajj Ventress really hadn't expected Savage Opress to come back to Dathomir.

As Savage hadn't expected them to save Feral Opress. As Feral hadn't expected to wake up from a broken neck.

But Mother Talzin had begun work on him the moment she and Savage left the room. Feral was their insurance. He had also become Asajj's new apprentice, one that had the will to listen, and unlike with Savage, he wasn't training him to be a Sith.

Yet what the three of them, Feral, Savage, and Asajj, had not expected was to go on a quest to save her old Master's Master's first apprentice. Feral's twin brother as it so happened.

"How many sons do you have?" Asajj had asked.

Mother Talzin, unsurprisingly, hadn't answered her question. And Feral, skittish as the male could be, had spooked when they found Spider-Butt.

For once, she hadn't blamed him. Healing from a spinal injury when receiving near immediate healing was one thing.

Surviving bisection and living years with…

It didn't make any more sense to her on reflection but Darth Maul was…

An exception.

And much further along the Dark path than she had ever achieved.

The four of them had decided that the rule of two was pointless, but that killing Darth Sidious and Tyrannus was necessary, both were too dangerous and traitorous to survive.

Maul was obsessed with Kenobi, Asajj couldn't blame him yet she felt some regret for that Master Jedi's inevitable passing. In another galaxy, they might have been allies.

And the Force seemed to be on their side when they encountered Death Watch.

Mandalore seemed as good a place as any to start their empire.

* * *

Rex couldn't exactly say he was happy that Senator Amidala was putting herself in danger, yet again, but he was happy that the end result was his General getting to spend nearly every day with her. Rex had never seen him happier.

The 501st hadn't been grounded on Coruscant since… the start of the war? At least not for prolonged weeks.

Their days were spent on rotating guard shifts, and Rex was able to witness more sparring and training between his General and his Jedi Commander than had ever been possible before.

Maybe weirdest of all was seeing Skywalker meditate.

Of course, it might have helped that it wasn't just _days_ that General Skywalker was _guarding_ the Senator.

Rex couldn't tell if they were married but he knew they were committed to each other, or at least so in love that it really didn't matter. There was a betting pool going around the 501st and another one on if Commander Tano had or hadn't figured it out yet.

They, they being Commander Tano, himself, and Fives were currently escorting Senator Bail Organa out of the Senate building so he could contact his own wife on Alderaan. As the Queen of Alderaan, Rex had learned, their windows for communication could be very limited. Even now, Bail wasn't truly free as the full Senate was in session, but that's what Bail's secretary was for.

They were in one of the hallways in an alcove, and Rex stood, well not shoulder to shoulder as she was too short, but beside Tano as they turned away from Bail and pretended not to hear their conversation, doing their best to give him the illusion of privacy.

"Breha, Padme thinks we should adopt."

"Bail, we've talked about this, my throne is hereditary, and by our laws, an adopted child would be placed with the burden of the crown as well."

"Then maybe we adopt more than one baby and then whichever child we dee-"

"You know that's not how it works."

"My love, how is adopting a child and having our own any different? Both would start out their lives as babes, and we would love them the same."

"But what if they aren't ready?" she asked.

"We would have your entire life to teach them, and if they aren't ready or not suited, we can advise them to abdicate or change the laws to be more like Naboo's system."

"Alderaanians are wedded to their tradition."

"Breha, you want to be a mother, I want to be a father. What are we waiting for? If we never have a child then the throne passes on to a voted family anyway."

Breha was quiet for a long moment, "I will think on it."

Bail's relieved sigh was audible, "Good. I love you."

"I love you too."

Rex was ready to turn, when Commander Tano let out a cry, "Bomb!"

Rex would never quite understand how her senses worked, but trusting her, he tackled her to the ground as Fives tackled the Senator.

As the world fell down upon them in deafening and blacking measure, his last thought was that he was glad Bail got to say goodbye to his wife, that the last thing he said, was _I love you_.

* * *

Obi-Wan's warning of 'It's a trap' came far too late.

Half the dome of the Senate building had come down, revealing the sky above and all hell breaking loose as the biggest Separatist fleet Mace had ever seen was engaging their forces.

The Force rippled with the panic and fear, and like blood in the water, the chaos attracted more.

Half the Senate building had been destroyed and all coms signals were being blocked on the ground. Above them rained all manner of lights and fireworks.

And the native Coruscantians?

They were panicking.

Because, of course, they were panicking.

Mace was shouting orders, he would be lucky if he had a voice at all by tonight. Personnel were evacuating from the ground floors while hover crafts brought traumatized politician after traumatized politician out of the arena.

This, he knew, would be considered the worst battle of the entire war.

It wasn't, not even close to the worst thing Mace had seen in the last three years, but it would purposely affect the most people in the galaxy.

While many or most Senators were corrupt, other representatives were the best and brightest from their systems.

And the situation wasn't improving as Separatists ships broke through the blockade.

Kit jumped up to his platform, Senator Mon Mothma in his arms, she had a gash across her forehead, her white dress was all but drenched in blood, "The Chancellor is still down there."

Mace half wanted to say leave him, but Palpatine was still the Chancellor of the Republic. "I'll get him, after you get her to a medic transport, start directing people to Westside Hospital, use the second level port."

Kit nodded, already moving.

Mace was not surprised to find both Skywalker and Senator Amidala helping people out from under fallen rubble. Arguably, Skywalker was doing the heavy lifting, but Amidala was keeping people from straight panic as she directed them toward help.

It was so loud, Mace could hardly think, the crying, the screaming, the kriffing building still falling, and now the sound of blaster fire gave what had been a disaster zone the additional appeal of becoming a war zone.

Even under fire, they kept evacuating the building, and the Chancellor, having been in the middle of the stadium, had been at the bottom of a stack of fallen platforms. He was only alive because one platform leaning on another had acted as a shelter.

Sly Moore was unconscious beside him, but his other aid had been pulverized.

Mace took the Umbaran female in his arms and allowed Palpatine to hold onto him for support as they made their way onto the platform that Skywalker was directing.

As one of their better General's Anakin should have been in the skies, but this was the Senate, and getting these people to safety was just as important as stopping the enemy forces.

But Plo and Wolffe could handle it.

And that's what Mace told himself, until they arrived on the half dome, and a voice called out to him.

"We meet again, Master Windu."

Mace almost dropped Moore as he put her down, going for his blade. "Count, a pleasure to have you back in the Republic."

Dooku smirked at him, his one time friend. He had looked up to Dooku almost his entire life. Even now, it broke his heart to see what the man had become.

"The Republic is finished. How fortunate you are to have been there at the eve of its fall and now at its final hour."

Mace ignited his blade, "Do you not grow tired of being wrong?"

Dooku smiled, igniting his own saber to the side, always taunting.

Skywalker jumped over his head, his blue blade clashing down on Dooku's.

Mace almost sighed, the boy had no patience.

"Skywalker," Dooku greeted, "Don't you have pedestrians to save?"

Dooku waved his free hand, and Senator Amidala went soaring off the side of the building.

" _PADME!"_ Anakin bellowed before diving off the building after her.

Dooku looked disgusted, "Jedi, they make it too easy."

Mace launched himself forward.

The Republic would be in chaos after this, a war that had been mainly on the fringes of the galaxy, was now being waged at its heart.

With about half the Senate members dead or injured, the parameters of the war had taken a hard turn.

Mace let himself fade into the fight. He saw Dooku speaking, but he let the sound wash over him. One of Dooku's most useful tactics was verbal assault.

Mace didn't care what the traitor had to say.

Only the Force mattered, the Dark and the Light, and the sharper Dooku struck, the more power Mace was able to redirect.

This was one of the first time's Mace had been able to truly duel a Sith with his Vapaad.

Mace had never felt stronger.

He only noticed peripherally that Palpatine was trying to get to the controls, his injured leg dragging behind him as he slipped to one knee.

If he was a Sith Lord, Dooku's Master Sith, then he was either an actor that should have been playing in the theatres, or he was a pathetic creature who Dooku would usurp.

Another explosion rocked the building, Mace lost his step. He thought Dooku would take advantage.

And he did, only to launch himself at Palpatine who had finally managed to reach the controls.

Palpatine's expression was almost comical as he looked back at Dooku.

Throwing himself backwards, the Chancellor's scream was ear piercing as Dooku's strike that would have killed him cut from his brow to his jaw. But Palpatine had the sense to hit the throttle.

Mace attacked while Dooku's back was turned, because Mace wasn't too proud, it was one of the things he approved of about Anakin Skywalker.

Skywalker had yet to miss an advantage in this war.

Dooku had to leap off the platform carrier, allowing the injured Palpatine to get away and leaving the Count to face Mace.

And their duel lagged on, and Mace was winning, slowly but surely, he wore at Dooku's defence.

In theory, Vapaad like its sister, Jayo was an aggressive offence, but when used against a true Dark Sider, Vapaad was like Soresu, a redirection, a defensive style as much as an offensive one.

If Dooku were ten years younger, he might still have out matched Mace. Dooku was simply that skilled a saber Master.

But then something inexplicable happened.

Dooku's brown eyes shown with amusement as he-

Pulled himself back within the Force.

Mace stumbled, the power of the Dark Side he had been using, gone, and he couldn't call on it himself, not without losing his balance.

But Dooku pressed the attack, not as a Sith Lord, but the Master Jedi he had been.

Mace sped up his blocks out of necessity. Dooku was the Makashi Master, he wasn't aiming for death blows or to slice off his limbs, no, Dooku would use a small series of multiple injuries until he was too hurt to continue.

"How?" Mace asked, "You fell!"

"Are we so unalike?" Dooku asked, the Light rippling about him, giving him a second strength. The night was cold and Mace was growing weary, he'd been using the Force all evening to pull survivors from the wreckage.

Dooku continued speaking when Mace didn't answer, "Unlike my Master, I never lost control."

Mace snarled, "Then you are truly evil."

Dooku smiled, "Are the Jedi so much more important than all other life in the galaxy? A wildfire burns away the old and the dead, the weak and the sick, and in its place grows new life, new hope. The Republic is broken and the Jedi sided with the wrong purpose. You no more serve the Force than you do the peoples of this galaxy."

Mace felt those sobering words, felt them ring true, "Then you should have stayed to fix it."

"I tried, but you ignored me, and Qui-Gon died for it," Dooku said, "The Jedi cannot be saved."

Their blades locked, and Mace said through gritted teeth, "You still are one."

Dooku's smile seemed regret filled, and he almost said too softly to be heard, "Not by choice."

The parted, and Mace raised his saber too high, Dooku's swing should have killed, but another explosion, or maybe it was just the supports giving out, but the roof of the dome gave way beneath them. Mace fell one way and Dooku the other.

It would have made for a fitting end.

A fighter dived toward him, and Mace landed on the arrowed dash. He didn't have to look back to know it was Plo. But when they banked toward where Dooku had been, the Fallen Jedi Master was long gone.

By the time they were head toward to the Temple, the battle had been won with surprisingly few military casualties. Even with the ships he authorized to Ilum, Coruscant had been well defended.

Dooku had been the one to lose a staggering amount of droids and ships.

But none of that would matter to the Senate.

"Connection frequencies are back," Plo's voice came from the com.

Mace nodded his head as the wind cooled the sweat on his scalp, speaking into his com, he said, "Kit, status report."

"The main evacuation of the Senate Building has been complicated, pulling people from the more significant damage now."

"The Temple?"

"Treating wounded, but no successful damage was caused."

Shaak Ti's voice rang clear over the coms, "All orbital fighters have been defeated and repelled, search teams have been sent to clear any remaining droids that may have landed on the surface. Every remaining Separatist vessel that can has retreated."

Mace nodded, and though he was exhausted, he signalled to Plo to return to the Senate building.

Then he began the odious task of sounding off every commanding officer from the top down.

Meeting back up with Skywalker, who looked angry, and Senator Amidala who looked none the worse for wear having been tossed off a building, Mace paused to listen as Skywalker called through his com.

"Commander Tano, Commander Rex, report."

Silence.

"Padawan Tano, report."

They waited.

Amidala put a hand to her lips.

" _Ahsoka,_ " Skywalker growled into his com, "Respond to me, damnit."

Amidala shook her head, "She was with Fives and Bail."

Mace flipped over to the records medics, "Windu, has Senator Bail Organa from Alderaan been seen in medical?"

There was a pause and then answer, "No, General, Senator Organa has not been accounted for. However, droids are still data-banking the dead."

Skywalker looked too pale. And he nearly shouted into the coms, "ARC-5555, come in! Fives, respond!"

No response came.

"No, no, no, this can't be happening," Skywalker said, putting a hand to his face, expression distraught.

Mace approached him carefully, waving back Amidala, who backed up reluctantly. "Skywalker, breathe. She is your Padawan, that connection runs deeper than a title. Breathe, still your mind, and you can find her in the Force."

Skywalker sucked in a breath, but his mind seemed to be anything but still.

"She is here with you," Mace instructed, "she is with you, the Force is with you. Let go of your fear, it cannot help her. If you wish to protect the ones you love you must put aside your own needs, your own shortcomings. You are a Jedi, Anakin, and with the Force you are limitless."

Anakin seemed to truly see him then, he swallowed hard, "No one has ever said it like that before."

"The Jedi are not without emotion, a Jedi Knight must feel to be compassionate, but you cannot let your emotions rule you. Breathe, find your Padawan."

Anakin let out a long shaking breathe before closing his eyes and dropping to the rubble stone streets in a mediation pose.

After a few minutes, Anakin opened his eyes.

"What do you sense?" Mace asked, not wanting to lose the young Torgruta girl any more than Anakin did.

Ahsoka Tano was the type of Jedi who might just surpass Qui-Gon and Dooku for her brilliance. She was powerful, if unstable in her understanding of the Force, but unstable in the way Mace himself had been as a Padawan.

She had a tenacity about her that could stretch the limits of what they knew as a people.

But Anakin looked up at him, the hue of his eyes deepened with sorrow, "Darkness, all I sense... all I can see is Darkness."

Mace closed his eyes, and spun as he felt someone approaching with hostile intent.

"Where were the Jedi for this attack?" Captain Tarkin asked, his boots crunching in a pile of broken glass.

"Mace, I'm joining the rescue units," Anakin said from behind him by way of parting.

Mace signalled that he had heard, glancing back at their retreating forms.

"I asked you a question, Jedi, where were the extra battalions?"

Mace felt the exhaustion of the day catch up to him like a blow to his sternum as he contemplated the implications.

_Count Kriffing Dooku._

"They were sent to defend Ilum."

Captain Tarkin sneered at him with a raised chin, "I'm certain that what remains of the Senate will be _comforted_ to hear it."

Mace held the bastard's gaze as the pieces fell together.

Dooku likely wanted to kill his Master, the Rule of Two being what it was, but they were still uneasy allies working against the Jedi Order, working to destroy the Republic from within and without.

In his mind, Mace accepted that Palpatine was almost undoubtedly Darth Sidious.

But his hands were tied, he didn't know how to prove it, and he couldn't act on it, not without the entire Republic turning on the Jedi Order.

_Kriff._

* * *

"What's the problem?" Maul growled in an overly sinister manner.

Asajj rolled her eyes, _Were all Sith Lords so grandiose?_

When Vizla failed to answer, she asked, "Why are you stopping, Vizsla?"

Vizla shook tapped his fingers on the keyboard, "It would appear that a Star Destroyer just landed to the east and the entire 212th Battalion is disembarking, fully armed, into the landing bay."

Bo-Katan's jaw dropped, the girl looking all of twelve, "What the actual kriff? Satine allows this but denies the Way of the Mandalorians, her own people?"

Vizla shook his head, "Our plan won't work. We don't have the numbers to take them out. Mandalore has joined the Republic."

Asajj shook her head, "No, Kenobi was exiled from the Republic, its been all over the holonet. His battalion must have followed him."

Bo-Koton began searching on her datapad, and she read aloud, "The 212th has been given under the command of Commander Luke Kenobi, Padawan and son of General Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose military status and status within the Jedi Order has been temporarily suspended due to Chancellor Palpatine's exiling him." She paused, "Huh, I didn't think Jedi had kids or family, I mean not any they acknowledge."

Asajj, Savage, and Feral were watching the manic glee darken Maul's expression. "Kenobi has a _child_?"

Asajj shook her head, and warned the Sith, "If Kenobi has been exiled, if he is no longer a Jedi, he may no longer be beholden to the Jedi Code."

Maul snarled at her, "You fear him?"

She frowned, "I have never known a Jedi with a child, I don't want to find out what Master Kenobi could do if he snaps-" because Jedi breaking at the end as their need for revenge overcame them, that, she had seen, "-he could be worse than Dooku."

"Death Watch isn't going," Vizala announced, "The thugs we hired will not be able to stand up to a clone Battalion."

Maul snarled, "We don't need you." He left toward the back hatch, wisely, none of the Mandalorians tried to stop him.

Savage followed but Asajj caught Feral's arm, and he stopped obediently, "No, my pet, we did not go to all that trouble to save your life to have you die here."

He tilted his head slightly, his golden eyes alight with a child-like curiosity, "Are you so certain they will die?"

Asajj shook her head, "Kenobi isn't stupid. Either his son is stronger than we know or Master Kenobi is willing to break his code to protect him. Otherwise, this Padawan, Luke Kenobi, would have been kept in hiding."

* * *

AN: Thoughts or feedback, please?


	9. A Moment of Peace

AN: Thank you to anyone leaving reviews, you are the best of the best! :D

Chapter 9 - A Moment of Peace

* * *

 **Keynote:** So much happened in the last chapter that we are overlapping the last scene a bit, Maul and Savage arrive on Mandalore after the 212th lands on Mandalore.

* * *

Cody wasn't sure why the entire assembly had been called to order, nor why General Kenobi ordered them to turn off all communicators.

It was odd for them to be spoken to all at once, well it wasn't usual for Kenobi to accuse the Chancellor of treason and for them to be deserters either, but every single clone was present in the hanger, which was the only space onboard to comfortably stand for them all.

That was another odd thing, their General almost never preferred them to stand at even file like they had been trained to on Kamino. But today was an echo from the past.

"Medics, please step forward to the front group," General Kenobi said.

No one said a word as they stepped back and adjusted for the medics to come forward.

The medics were never called forward unless someone was bleeding or dying, but not a single man failed to show them the highest level of respect. Rank was irreverent in regards to them.

"I will start by saying that there is nothing fair or just about the information I'm about to tell you. And the reason we are doing this in secret is because I am afraid of the Chancellor getting wind of it and activating the chips within your brothers before we can get them out."

Cody had a sickening feeling in his gut.

The medics shifted, and one asked, Caswell, who had taken his name from a scientist who had discovered a cure to something, asked, "What chips?"

Their General explained, their General even explained what would have happened if the inhibitor chips.

No one really spoke after that. And as Cody realized that Kenobi's mumbled words that had been half dream and mostly nightmare had been a true vision.

If the chips were not taken out, Cody would have been forced to kill his own his General.

They would have been forced to exterminate the Jedi in their entirety, from elder to Generals, from Padawans to younglings.

Cody was the first to volunteer for the surgery.

The medics took their time on the first hundred men, taking them out entirely. After that, they realized they could just use a fine laser with an even smaller incision to fry the chips.

For those with visible scars, General Kenobi asked them to hide the marks in public, no pictures could circulate that might indicate that the Sith's plot had been uncovered until after everyone cleansed.

Their brothers on Kamino would be the last to know. The Republic would be very lucky if their brothers didn't rebel. But the Kaminoins would be taken out. Perhaps not killed, but imprisoned? Yes, and their younglings would be taken care of by their troops. The long-necks had lost their rights to remain free people.

Cody doubted that any more of their brothers would be produced after this. The Jedi weren't going to be informed or consulted on any of this. General Kenobi knew, and he had told him. The rest wasn't Jedi business.

After Cody's surgery, he contacted his fellow commanders that he trusted most, Wolffe, Trauma, Rex, Monnk, and Doom.

Only Rex didn't answer.

* * *

The only thing that saved them was that they had been in an alcove rather than inside the main hall. The building had literally fallen on them, but there had been just enough support from the caved-in alcove around them that the full weight of the building hadn't crushed them.

But Bail Organa, Rex, Fives, and Ahsoka, Force help them all, Ahsoka was still in critical care. When Kix had told Anakin that it was a good thing they had all been knocked unconscious was a good thing as it prevented them from moving with broken spines, hips, and well, Anakin couldn't think through the list of his Padawan's injuries.

He wasn't even allowed into the room with the healers and medics. He had been sitting outside the room, hardly able to think, hardly able to breathe.

"Anakin," Padme said softly, touching his good wrist, "Give it a rest."

"No," he said, voice trembling with fury, "I have to fix them, I have to."

Ahsoka's lightsabers had faired about as well as she had. Anakin had been tinkering with the damn things for some time now. Hardcase had even brought him new parts.

But nothing he did seemed to balance the crystals. The freaking heart of her sabers, the kyber had been damaged.

And he couldn't fix it.

Which was unacceptable.

"Anakin, no matter what happens to the sabers, it won't affect Ahsoka."

"Yes, it will," he said sharply, "A lightsaber is a Jedi's life. If I can just fix-" the kyber gave a particular angry spark and her cursed, "Why did both of them break?"

Padme didn't answer, but the answer wasn't something he wanted to picture.

By rights, Rex should have been worse off because he had been shielding her. But he had been wearing armour. Ahsoka would have been in better condition too, but she must have resisted being tackled because had just let Rex keep her safe-

He squeezed his eyes shut, and he gasped when he remembered he was still holding the unstable crystals in his metal fist.

He felt a tremor go up the metallic limb, and when he opened his hand the crystals were…

"I broke them," even to himself his voice sounded small, "I made it worse."

Padme hugged him, "She's going to be okay, Ani, I promise."

"You can't promise that," he said, but he let himself be held, even if for the first time he couldn't bring himself to hold her back.

He had failed to fix Ahsoka's lightsabers, just as he had failed to keep her safe.

* * *

Though the Temple had survived and no one in the Temple had been harmed, they still had losses. A group of Council members had been in attendance at the Senate building.

Of the ways Mace thought he would lose some of the highest respected members of the Order, a building falling on them hadn't been it. But they had been too close to the detonation areas. Mace, Plo, Kit, Shaak Ti, and Yoda had remained to watch the rest of the Senate meeting, little did they know it had saved their lives as the others had been returning to the Temple.

Only Depa, on assignment with her men, and Obi-Wan, who had been leading the victory on Ilum, hadn't been involved in this terrorist attack.

So of the twelve seated members of the Council, only seven remained, excluding Obi-Wan who was technically exiled, that left them with half a Council.

Of the Order, Mace was hard-pressed to pick half a dozen new Council members, it wasn't for lack of Master Jedi, but rather lack of Master Jedi who could take on extra responsibilities and assume a position that they wouldn't have much time to train them for.

"Perhaps Anakin?" Plo suggested.

Mace shook his head, "As a consultant in the military, yes, I believe we should include him more. But I don't think he has the emotional stamina to handle the rest of our Council's duties."

Not that they had been handling things well, stretched thin as they were, but a Council position could be life-long, and Mace didn't want to see the young Skywalker sacrifice more parts of himself to accommodate the burden of a Council position. He had graduated too fast, missed out his initiate years and the years as Padawan that were supposed to be about self discovery and a partner having your back. The last years of an apprenticeship were the time when the Master and the Padawan became near equals.

"Has Ahsoka's condition-?" Plo began.

But Mace shook his head, "She's still in intensive care. And given that she survives, I do not wish to ask Skywalker to give her up as his Padawan."

Because while Masters did have Padawans on the Council, newly elected Jedi did not. It wasn't so much a mandatory rule, as the reality that newly elected to Council position, time management was nearly impossible until years of holding a seat.

"Aayla Secura," Kit said, "She has no Padawan and though she's not quite ready to become a Master, she has proven herself capable."

Plo nodded, "She would certainly offer something new to the Council if she accepts."

Depa sighed over hologram, "So that's one."

They were all quiet for a long moment.

And Mace spoke with what was troubling him most, "Chancellor Palpatine will remain in power, whether we catch him red handed wielding lightsabers around or not, no one is going to believe he was working with Dooku. They will not _want_ to believe. And for those who do, well, it will simply add to the hysteria. This war is going to get bloodier. The homeworlds of those Senators lost will not be cowed, they will be furious."

Shaak nodded, "This could very well be the end of the Republic."

"Caught in the middle, are we," Yoda said.

"If Palpatine is clever, he will take the clone army away from us. He could turn them on us if enough propaganda is published on us defending Ilum over the Senate."

"We would have to run," Shaak said. "Leave Coruscant indefinitely."

Mace shook his head, "I have an idea, but I'm pretty sure no one is going to like it."

Yoda stared at him, "Quickly we must act."

Mace almost smiled, when Master Yoda cautioned you to make haste, things were bad.

Very, very bad.

* * *

Kix came out of the room, Ani sprang to his feet so fast that Padme hardly had time to catch her feet under her.

Kix looked more grim than usual. Which wasn't surprising given how many clones Padme had seen go into medical, which had puzzled her a bit considering most of them had looked uninjured to her, even if all of them had radiated anger and fear.

But Padme was too tired to find an answer, she was so tired. She no longer knew what day it was, but she knew it had been terrible, and her stomach had been rolling before the bombs went off.

But her physical concerns were all secondary.

And her Ani was barely holding himself together.

Losing Ahsoka wouldn't be something either of them could recover from.

Padme had been in contact with Breha too, all travel to and from Coruscant had been suspended and the woman's iron will only reavealed its cracks in the sorrow and desperation in her eyes.

Kix, however, offered them a grim smile, "All four have made it through. No lost limbs, no permanent damage outside of scarring and their recovery time. They were very, very lucky, no cranial damage was found on any of them. You have Rex and Fives to thank for Commander Tano's and Senator Organa's lives."

Padme felt the tears fall from her cheeks, the relief was so strong, she could hardly hold her datapad as she messaged Breha that her husband would be coming home safely.

"Can we see them?" Anakin asked.

Kix shook his head, "I'm afraid not. They are all stable, but especially in Commander Tano's case, her injuries are quite extensive. It will be a few days before we can even move her safely into a bacta tank. We are going to keep her sedated for that time. Commander Rex and Fives are already in tanks and should be on their feet by tomorrow evening, but I am mandating bed rest for at least a week."

"And Ahsoka?" Anakin asked.

"Two to three months of recovery. She may need to relearn how to walk. But like I said, all her injuries are such that we have the resources and technology to heal. It's just going to take time."

Ani nodded numbly.

Padme hugged his waist, and he put an arm around her, almost clinging to her as she asked, "Are there any more details you can give me about Bail, his wife-"

Kix pulled up a reader on his own datapad, "I will be happy to speak with Queen Organa myself. But I need you, Senator Amidala to get our General to bed."

"I'm fine," Anakin said at once.

"You're not, Sir," Kix said, "Commander Tano will not be conscious for a few days, you won't be able to see her until the day after tomorrow at the earliest."

"Why not!?" Anakin bellowed.

Kix straightened, "Because I am the medic, and she is my patient before she is your Padawan, Sir. Let me do my job."

Padme pulled on his arm, "Ani, we can't help her any more tonight." Anakin looked as if he was going to protest, so she played dirty, "Please, Ani, I'm tired."

He looked down at her, then he scooped her up off her feet and she let out a little yelp, "Anakin!"

But he said nothing, just held her tighter to his chest.

She wanted to argue with him that people would talk, but right then, she felt so safe, and so very exhausted, her head heavy with days events. She let herself rest against his chest, and though Kix told her to take care of Anakin.

She was the one asleep before they made it back to her apartment.

* * *

Despite their speedy victory at Ilum, they wouldn't have had time to make it back to Coruscant to be of much use. Though the other two battalions returned to Coruscant, Ben and the 212th continued on their way to Mandalore.

Ben was both impressed and not at all surprised that the medics assigned to his Battalion got all the chips out before they landed on Mandalore.

Where their welcome had been… confused.

The only thing that really got the Palace guards to allow them to land their Star Destroyer, (which Waxer had named, _The Obstinate,_ after a conversation in which Ben had refused to elaborate on his reasoning to throwing caution to the wind), had been Ben's insistence that Death Watch was planning another attack.

Which wasn't a lie, and the last attack Satine's guard had been woefully unprepared, and they knew that.

As Satine herself…

" _Obi-Wan,"_ she growled, "What are you doing here?"

Ben smiled at her, "Duchess, I thought you would happy to see me."

Her glare would have broken lesser men, "You brought an army with you. Mandalore is neutral-"

"Mandalore is a target, and as it happens, we've, or rather I, have been exiled from Coruscant and the Order. So I thought I would come and offer Mandalore our support."

She pointed at him as if she would lecture him, but there wasn't much she could say unless she actually wanted him gone.

He smirked at her, and she turned that ire on Luke, "Who the hell is he?"

"My Padawan, Luke," he answered, finding that he didn't want to lie to her outright.

But one of her guard, however, clearly had been keeping up on Coruscanti gossip because he leaned in to whisper to Satine.

"Your son!" she exploded, turning back on Ben with a renewed fury, "You had a son with another woman!?"

Ben flinched.

She turned back on Luke who took a step back from her, "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," Luke answered, holding up his hands in a universal 'I mean no harm' gesture.

The look Satine gave Ben was withering.

And yes, Ben had done the math on how old he would have been to have sired Luke, he had just forgotten that the timeline would have matched up with the year he spent with Satine in the Mandalore system.

_Kriff._

"Satine, I can-"

She shook her head, glaring at Luke, before confusion swept over her face and she tilted her head, "Are you Padme Amidala's son?"

Luke blinked at her in shocked speechlessness.

Ben stepped in front of him, "Satine, Luke's mother died. And I can explain everything if we could just speak privately?"

She glared at him for a long moment, before turning on her heel and giving him her back. Without looking at him, she said, "Fine, follow me. The guards can escort _your_ son, somewhere he can freshen up."

Ben said nothing, just did as he was told, and Luke seemed to relieved to part ways with them.

He was a bit surprised when she brought him to her private rooms, but he was too concerned with the emotions that were radiating off of her to be overly concerned with their surroundings.

The moment the door hushed shut, she turned on him.

"How dare you bring an army here? How dare you land on my planet without my clearance."

"You did allow-"

"I said you could come down, you know I didn't mean your entire battalion!"

"They are Mandalorians by heritage, Satine, they could be your people-"

"You know how hard I've fought for peace! And you brought soldiers here!" she got closer and poked him in the chest, "You brought your son here who you had with another woman!"

Ben's heart constricted, he hated the pain he had caused her. And yet… He had thought of her as being dead for so long that seeing her like this, alive, passionate…

Alive. Actually alive.

He could only look at her, and thank the Force that he had been given this second glimpse of his old life.

Satine was alive and she glimmered in the Force like a light in a harbour.

Tatooine had been his duty, Coruscant was his nightmare, but Satine, she was his home.

And it wasn't until he stood before her that he really felt one with this time, that it fully sunk in that he was here and here was now.

She lashed out at him with scathing words, "What no comeback? No sarcastic comment?"

Would his life had still ended in disaster if he had chosen her over his duty to Qui-Gon?

Could they have saved Mandalore together?

Would Anakin have even fallen without his mistakes?

When he still didn't respond she nearly growled, unpinning a piece of her headdress she flung it at a chair, "You drive me to violence, Obi-Wan!"

He choked on a laugh, "Satine-"

"No," she cut him off, "You will listen to me Obi-Wan Kenobi." She put her hand flush against his chest plate, he thought she would push him away, but she didn't.

Instead, she looked up into his face, her blue eyes clearer than any sky he had ever seen, and she said, voice trembling with emotion, "You told me once that if I gave the word that you would have left the Order for me."

He nodded, "And I meant it."

"Word."

He frowned, "What?"

She pressed her hand more firmly against his chest, but not to push him away, so he stood in place, holding the weight she gave him, "I want you to stay with me. I want you to leave the Order for me."

It took his mind a second to catch up with her words, and in the next he found himself wrapping his arms around her.

He didn't kiss her, though he wanted to, badly, instead, he lifted her to his height and rested his chin on her shoulder. Breathing her in, he said what he wished he had said from the beginning, "I have always loved you, Satine, and I always will."

She clung to him for a moment before pulling back and he set her down on her feet. She looked up with mournful eyes and her voice was empty as she said, "But you won't stay."

He kissed her forehead, not letting her leave the circle of his arms, "I will stay, Satine, but there are things I need to tell you first."

She frowned at him, "Luke-"

"Is adopted. He's my adopted son, Satine, there was no other woman."

She relaxed, then smacked his armour, "You couldn't have led with that?"

Ben smiled, "My name is protecting more than just him."

"Protection?" she asked, "I love you, Obi-Wan, but you have enemies, and the Council couldn't have been happy about your 'attachment'. How can your name be protecting him?"

"I honestly don't care what the High Jedi Council thinks about me, but you were right about Luke's mother being Padme Amidala."

Again Satine frowned, even as she relaxed further in his arms, "So you lied about her dying."

"No, I didn't. Padme would have died after delivering Luke and his twin sister who didn't return to the past with us."

She shook her head and this time when she pulled back, he let her go, "I'm confused." She motioned him to her room, as she began to take out her earrings then the rest of her headdress. "Padme isn't even old enough to have given birth to a nineteen-year-old son."

"No, she isn't."

Satine shook a hand through her hair, letting the waves fall freely.

It took more mental restraint than he was proud of not to reach forward and touch her platinum hair.

"Then how is Luke her son? And who's the father?"

"Anakin."

Satine paused, her brows going up, "Ah, I see what you mean about your name protecting him. But again, Anakin would have been what? Four, five years old at most? Obi-Wan, that is physically impossible."

Ben spoke softly, "Not if Luke and I are from the future."

She stared at him, "What?"

"Twenty-one years in the future to be exact. I know it doesn't look it, but I grew old, Satine."

She stared at him, and he could see her mind spinning, "Padme died, and you adopted her children?"

"Just Luke. Leia, his twin, went with Bail and Breha. The Jedi Order fell with Republic."

Her eyes widened, "You time travelled? I didn't know that was possible. The Separatists win?"

He loved that she just accepted what he was saying. He shook his head, "Neither did I, but it was the Force's will. But no, on the eve of the Republic's victory, the Senate voted Chancellor Palpatine in as the Emperor and the Jedi are blamed for the war. We were executed in mass, what was left of us went into hiding. Force sensitives were routinely hunted down afterwards."

"No," she said, "no, the Jedi-"

"It happened to your people too," he said gently, "Death Watch starts another civil war within the next month in this time. The Empire sweeps in to cease control and once the people inevitably rebelled against a foreign power, the Empire crushed them. By the time Luke was old enough to apply to Mandalore's Imperial Academy, there was hardly any true Mandalorians left. A few groups of bounty hunters remained in the Outer Rims was all that survived of your people's culture."

She stared at him, and they sat together in silence on the end of her bed. Any romance between them was thoroughly ruined.

But he was still happy to be at her side again.

"Where was I?"

He forced himself to look at her, "I tried, Satine. I almost rescued you. But you died in my arms, brought down by one of my enemies. It was my fault you died, my failings that I couldn't save you."

She touched his face, "Shhh… Obi-Wan, it wasn't your fault." She smiled a bit, "A lot of people want me dead."

He pressed her forehead to hers, "That's why I brought you an army. Satine, you rebuilt Mandalore, but pacifism cannot endure here, you need to be able to protect your people. You must allow them to protect themselves."

She closed her eyes, "It isn't that easy, the clans-"

"Then let me help you find ways to mediate between them, I can help you avoid civil war, but war will come to Mandalore from the outside. Your system is too strategic to the rest of the galaxy to be left in peace."

Tears spilled down her face.

"Satine," Obi-Wan said wrapping his arms around her.

She curled into him, "Stay with me, please."

He held her tighter, "I promise."

She pulled back enough to see his face, "Marry me?"

His lips twitched, "Even if I'm an old man?"

She laughed and shook her head before cupping his face, "Obi-Wan, I have always loved you, and I always will, no matter the years, no matter the distance, I will always love you."

"Then yes," he said, before capturing her lips with his, and for the first time since returning to the past, he felt at peace with the universe.

He was home.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, puppies, or feedback? Pretty please?


	10. Wedding and Carnage

**Updates:** So good news and bad news for y'all who complain about me not finishing a story. This particularly fic could certainly be classified as a fix-it fic. And as such, we have exactly five chapters left :D

oOo

 _ **The Queen Does Not Need to Know:**_ is almost at the end of Act II. Act III depends on feedback not being 'meh' due to all kriffing extra work, notes, research, and drafting included. Also, if you don't like the sequels, neither did I which is why I wrote this fic where I take from Lucas and Legends, and yes, Daisy Ridley is actually a Kenobi ;)

oOo

 _ **Significant Brain Damage:**_ maybe has fifteen chapters left at the most, it will pass the 250K mark. It's on its last arch where the clones get centre stage and their own personal villain :D

* * *

 **WARNING!:** Character death and graphic-ish violence ahead.

* * *

Chapter 10 - Weddings and Carnage

Luke wasn't sure what to do when Satine smiled at him, but when he saw Ben's face, he knew it was okay.

Duchess Satine offered him an apologetic smile, "My apologies, Luke, for my tone earlier."

Luke smiled at her, "It's okay, I understand."

She shook her head, "Well, you certainly didn't inherit your father's temperament."

Luke could feel Cody, Waxer, Wooley, and Appo give her sceptical looks even with their helmets on.

"He's calmer than his mother too. I'd say he's saner than her too but he flies a ship like his father," Ben said.

Appo shook his head, "He doesn't fly like you, he flies like General Skywalker."

Luke felt bad then, and he met Ben's gaze, "Did you tell Satine?"

Ben nodded, then looked at Cody and Waxer, "We haven't told you because it is hard to believe."

They were standing outside a dinning hall, Satine's guards had been given stations further in the city to help teach the rest of the 212th the security system.

Luke wasn't positive, but he had a feeling the 212th was going to dissolve into civilian life on Mandalore. Already, the palace guards were trusting the clones with security beyond what was wise to give any foreigner. Satine's announcement this morning that the laws of Mandalore would be altering and that the presence of the 212th Battalion did not mean that they had surrendered their neutrality.

The promise of change seemed to have a tangible effect on her people.

Cody folded his arms, "Let me guess, this is about your disappearance on Umbara?"

Ben looked chagrined, "If I told you I time travelled and somehow ended up in my younger body on Tatooine replacing my presence on Umbara, would you believe me?"

Cody took off his helmet, and Luke noticed a small bandage on the side of his neck as Cody glared at Ben, "I would say it makes more sense the physics behind traveling from Umbara to Tatooine and back in less than twenty standard hours."

Ben grinned, "Well then, I'm a time traveller from two decades in the future, and Luke. who travelled with me, is Anakin Skywalker's biological son."

Every trooper looked at Luke.

Appo took off his helmet too, and again Luke noticed the bandage on his neck as well. The 501st Lieutenant frowned at him, "You do have some of Senator Amidala's features, but aside from your flying skills…"

Cody nodded, "He's more your son, Sir, than Skywalker's."

Ben gave Luke a proud smile and Luke couldn't help but grin back, because whether the biology supported them or not, they were always going to be family.

Waxer, who kept his helmet on, said, "Does anyone else know?"

Luke shook his head, "Just the people in this room."

"I thought the scandal of my having a son would be more believable than time travel," Ben offered.

Satine laughed, "Oh, and I'm sure your frustrating the Jedi was just a bonus?"

Ben smirked, "Surprising Anakin was the real treat."

Appo shook his head, "Sir, you and General Skywalker are terrible people."

Ben looked slightly affronted which sent Luke and Satine into peels of laughter.

* * *

Today was… well it was better than the days before because while Rex was still on mandatory bed rest, Ahsoka had finally been moved to a bacta tank.

She really wasn't going to be happy when she woke up and discovered she had three months of mandatory bed rest and physical therapy ahead of her.

If only she hadn't tried getting out from underneath him when he had tried to protect her. She was going to get an earful from him when she was feeling well enough.

Bail had already been moved to a hospital on Alderaan.

Rex sighed, leaning his head back on his pillow. Kix wasn't letting anyone share news with him. Not even why he had briefly woken up to Kix doing brain surgery on Fives after they had been pulled from their Bacta bath. And Kix had been chasing General Skywalker anytime he came around.

Which was why Rex wasn't exactly sure what to think when four of his brothers came into his medical room.

Brothers all from different battalions, sectors, and all of whom were fellow Commanders; Wolffe, Trauma, Monnk, and Doom.

Kix pointed at them, "Do not wake up Fives."

"Oh, but you're not going to chase them off?" Rex asked a bit sourly.

Kix fixed him with a steady gaze, "You take after your General, Rex."

"Thank you."

Doom laughed as he sat at the end of his bed, "I don't think that was a compliment."

"What are you all doing here?" Rex asked, not at all in the mood to deal with Doom or Trauma for that matter. They made Hardcase sound like a sane person and Dogma seem like a rule breaker. How they managed to be both sticklers and as insane as Skywalker and Kenobi put together, Rex had never been able to fathom.

"Is that any way to talk to people here to relieve your boredom?" Trauma asked with a predatory smile.

"That would depend on the nature of your information," Rex said warily, meeting Wolffe's gaze.

Wolffe was the sanest of the four.

Well, actually, Monnk was fine, but he was quiet and wouldn't speak except when absolutely necessary. Rex had once thought that made him a strange choice for Mashell Commander, but when Monnk did speak, the troops listened.

Wolffe sighed heavily and sat beside Rex's hip.

Rex stared at him, "That bad?"

"Did Kix tell you about your surgery?" Wolffe asked, staring at Five's still sleeping form.

Kix had left the room, and it was only the six of them and Ahsoka floating in her tank.

"I was told that I was impaled a few times in my joints by small building materials, some broken bones. I don't know how much surgery I actually needed."

Wolffe sighed and looked at him, his silver eye not matching the sadness in the other, "You had brain surgery, Rex, we all have now. The medics have been working their asses off. It's a good thing the Senators didn't want the military stitching them up. Aside from a handful of them, they all got shipped off to their fancy hospitals."

He sounded more bitter than Rex had ever heard him. Rex touched his hand, "Wolffe, what has happened?"

Wolffe stared in him, "They bought us, made us, enslaved us, and sold us again."

Rex frowned, "Who?"

"The Republic, the Senate, the Sith."

Remembering what Kenobi had said to the Chancellor, he said, "What does it matter? We would have chosen this, and we aren't slaves, there orders we can disobey. It's not as if the Jedi would beat us or hurt us, not on purpose. We are not slaves."

Trauma snapped, "They chipped us, Rex."

Rex frowned, "You mean, a slave chip? Like they have in the Outer Rim?"

Doom laughed darkly, "No, the inhibitor chips, to prevent us from losing our tempers, when in reality, they made us to slaughter the Jedi, including the younglings."

Rex wasn't following, and his face must have shown in, because Monnk spoke for the first time since entering the room.

By the time Monnk had finished, Rex wished he had never spoken at all.

"Cody told us, Kenobi told him, we still don't know how the General found out, but he did. But Kenobi's the only outsider who knows."

"The Sith know," Rex shot back.

Wolffe shook his head, "They don't know we've taken them out. The medics used lasers, the incisions so small no one can see them. We've kept it quiet, no ones talking about it not even amongst themselves. It's been difficult keeping it from the Jedi, but they don't spy on us. Everyone in the Republic is clear."

Rex felt a surge of renewed horror, "Kamino."

Because their karking creators did watch their every move.

Doom spoke gravely, "We've planned a revolution."

"The long-necks have safeties in place for that," Rex said.

"The five of us are going, we are going to hit the transmissions and the power."

"The younglings," Rex said, thinking of their brothers still in their incubators.

"They have their backup generators," Trauma said, "but by the time they get the transmission for help off, Kamino will be ours."

"That's insane," Rex said, "There is no way to get clearance for all of us to leave our battalions for a weekend of treason and pandemonium."

Wolffe's smile was, well, wolfish, "We don't need anyone's permission."

Rex just raised his brows.

"We've been promoted," Doom said.

Rex waited, not sure what that meant, there wasn't a position high enough in the ranks to allow them to just skip off to Kamino for a weekend.

Wolffe leaned forward, "Rex, us five have been promoted to the High Jedi Council."

Rex's breath left him, and he sighed the words, "You're lying."

Monnk shook his head, "We are the High Generals Wolffe, Doom, Trauma, Monnk, and Rex, brother."

Rex shook his head, "I'm- I barely made Commander? Why me?" Because honestly, the other four weren't bad choices, sure, they weren't experts about Jedi culture, but they could learn that. Short of wizardry they could learn anything, they were born leaders, but him?

Trauma sniggered, "He's just in shock that he outranks General Skywalker now."

Rex stared down at his hands, "And we are going to start our terms, spit in the face of this honour by starting a revolution?"

Monnk spoke, "If they are our people and us theirs, then they must respect our choices in this. We are men, not slaves, and there is no honour in pretending otherwise."

Rex nodded, then looked at the door, "How are we getting past Kix?"

Doom and Trauma smiled in unison.

And Rex wondered if the Jedi Council realized what they had done promoting these two.

* * *

Ben didn't think things would move as quickly on Mandalore as they did. One moment he was making an idle comment about Defence Academy, a place where traditional Mandalorian customs could be taught, providing equal opportunity and oversight for anyone who joined no matter their clan or heritage, and the next thing he knew his plans for a small wedding were shoved out a window.

Satine revoked the exile of the warriors and gave them a section of the city that was immediately put under construction for Ben's hypothetical Defence Academy. Many of the troops from the 212th ended up helping in its construction.

Waxer and Boil were hired as instructions for the younger grades before the platform was to the building was set.

The news that the such an Academy was being built, that their warrior heritage was going to be brought back into being in a modern way that didn't threaten civil war, was all the Mandalore system could talk about.

It would be called the Concordia Academy of Mandalore, after the moon that the warriors had been exiled to while the rest of Mandalore recovered from their last great war.

And Ben found himself being blamed for this movement, which perversely made him a Jedi General from the Republic, one of the most popular figures on Mandalore.

He stood in the darkened entrance of the Palace holding Satine's hand. Curtains had been drawn so that they stood in absolute darkness before they would walk out into the light together. He didn't think he would be nervous to stand on the steps of the palace, where a temporary garden pavilion had been constructed. He had seen the flowers from his suite above as Cody helped him assemble his new custom made Mandalorian armour.

White and blue flowers were everywhere. And the crowd was a happy assembly of clone troopers, Mandalorians in full armour (many with younglings on their shoulders pounding happily on their helmeted heads), and civilians.

When he had first come to Mandalore, he never thought such an amiable crowd could exist.

He also never thought he would be wearing this much beskar. Satine must have spent a small fortune on it for him. There was nothing of his own Jedi heritage, but perhaps the cloak, a sweep of rich orange fabric over the white plates. He had chosen the orange in respect to the 212th, the white too, was in honour of his men, but on his shoulders, the crescent of the Jedi was replaced by the symbol of Satine's house.

He and Luke were keeping their name Kenobi, but from here on out, they would be a part of Satine's clan, a silver owl with spread wings. Apparently, Satine had refrained from using the symbol as she wanted to dispel clan hierarchies, but today, they would wear the symbols of the past to give them new meaning in the future they were bringing them into.

"Obi-Wan," Satine said from beside him, "I can feel your tension, what's wrong?"

What was wrong? He wasn't afraid of crowds. He didn't know what to say and when he took too long to answer, she squeezed his hand.

"Luke calls you Ben," she remarked.

He nodded, realized she couldn't see it, and said, "Yes, after the war… well, it was the name you chose for me."

She was silent for a long moment as they continued to wait in the dark for the music to start.

Finally, she asked, "Do you want my opinion?"

"Always," he said.

"I honestly like Obi-Wan better, it fits you better. It reminds me of Qui-Gon, of that bullheaded Jedi Knight I first met, I first fell in love with."

He sucked in a sharp breath, before deliberately exhaling, "I wasn't a Knight then, just a Padawan. I have been Ben for a long time, Satine, and it's been even longer since I was that Padawan."

"Then answer me this, do you cling to that name because it's how Luke sees you, or because you are still hiding?"

He closed his eyes, and asked himself that.

Asked why he was so afraid in this moment to walk out with her when this was what he wanted.

And the answer was ugly, "I'm afraid I'm going to lose you again."

Just as Anakin had been afraid to lose Padme.

Fear and attachment led to suffering.

And he was suffering and holding onto that suffering like a shield,. It's why he couldn't bear to go into the Temple, it's why he hadn't been able to face Palpatine without lashing out, and it's why he remained even in his own thoughts as Ben Kenobi, the crazy old hermit.

Because Ben wasn't the name of a Jedi, Ben was the name of a man with no friends, no family. The name of man who had failed in all things and exiled to the far reaches of the galaxy for his crimes.

For his crimes against the galaxy, for his failure to protect everyone he had ever loved.

Is that how he wanted to start this new life?

He had looked in the mirror today and saw a warrior he had not recognized. Could he forge himself into that, into someone who would not run, but stand and fight for what he believed in?

Satine pulled on his hand, "I'm afraid I'll lose you too, you know, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying every second we have together."

He turned to her, and even in the dark, they found each other's lips.

Of course, this is when the music started and when the curtains pulled back. The doors pulled back.

A cheer rose and Obi-Wan pulled back from that kiss to see Satine…

The sight of her stole the breath from his lungs.

He had been expecting her to be wearing a dress, and she was but the cloth was less a dress and more decoration. Her armour was the deepest blue and like his and the clones' over black. On her chest plate was the most intricate piece of metalwork he'd ever seen, a silver owl caught in mid flight. The cloth that framed her face and accentuated her hips was white with blue and silver accents. Her hair was pinned with white flowers and blue jewels.

She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. He hardly noticed the people, the music, the sounds, the flower petals raining down on them, it was just them.

As she stepped, her armoured boots making her every movement seem like a dance, he felt honoured to be at her side.

When it came time to exchange vows, he felt only love for her.

They spoke in unison, "We are one when together, we are one when parted, we will share all, we will raise warriors."

Because she had his heart from their first and he wanted to share his life, his burdens with her.

And seeing as they had legally adopted Luke and the entire 212th, 'raising warriors' wasn't so much a promise to the people of Mandalore, as an acknowledgement of fact.

Their wedding turned into a city wide street festival. And if Obi-Wan had to acknowledge the Mandalorian genius for weapons, then their fireworks were something else to see.

It was perhaps the happiest day and night of his life.

He even caught Cody dancing with a woman with golden hair and a sniper-rifle nearly as long as she was tall strapped to her back.

Submerged in the chaos and merriment, explosives raining rainbow light against a background of stars, Satine pulled him close and said, "I love you, my dearest Obi-Wan."

And in her arms, in this place, in this love, he felt remade and reborn.

* * *

Luke was on patrol with Appo, soaring around the perimeter of the planet the day after Ben- or rather Obi-Wan as he asked to be called this morning, and Satine's wedding when they found a ship that had been stuck in orbit for some time.

And by stuck, he meant literally stuck. When the exiles of Concordia had been welcomed back to the main planet, security had been increased tenfold, no one entered or left orbit without being triple checked by Mandalorian's guard and the 212th. Which had left this particular vessel no options but to sit here and hope that they were forgotten about.

Cody joined them five minutes after boarding the ship that appeared to be a pirate vessel.

Luke heard the hum of a lightsaber, his pulse jumping, he threw out his hand, Force pushing their attacker just like Obi-Wan had shown him to.

The Mando with three marks on his forehead went soaring into the opposite wall, hitting with a ding.

He fell forward leaving a dent in the metal wall behind him, and either he was unconscious or dazed because he didn't catch himself as he fell forward, landing face first with a metallic clang. Trooper Threepwood dashed forward and had the aggressor in cuffs before Luke could determine which.

Appo patted him on the back, "Good work, cadet."

Luke grinned, holding his blaster at the ready and checking around the corner.

"I don't think he's a Jedi," Cody said, picking up the lightsaber whose blade had been black laced with white.

It wasn't until they got to the next hall did blaster fire come at them.

Cody called into his coms for backup, as they began firing back at the small group of Mandos. When again, Luke heard the distinct sound of lightsabers being ignited. And this time, he felt a ripple in the Force.

He was reaching for his own lightsaber when one of the Mandos shouted, "Traitor!"

Followed by the sound of death cries and bodies dropping to the ground.

"Come on out, Kenobi, we won't hurt you," came a female voice.

Cody let out a low oath.

"Who is it?" Luke asked in a whisper.

"Ventress," he nearly snarled as he came around the corner, blaster blazing.

Luke, Appo, and Threepwood followed.

A female and male Zabrak, both with red lightsabers deflected their every shot.

"We surrender," the female said, before frowning at him, "Where is Kenobi?"

"I'm Luke Kenobi," he said, holding his hand out for their lightsabers.

She placed both in his hand as Appo took away the dual ended saber hilt from the male.

Ventress smiled at him sensually as she allowed Cody to cuff her, "I'm Asajj Ventress, and he's Feral, my apprentice."

Luke cocked his head, "And what do you want with my father?"

Her smile was evil as she purred, "To taste him."

Cody hit her with a stunner point blank and then hit Feral, the Zabrak with ochre skin and golden eyes. Threepwood bent to lift him over his shoulder as Cody caught Ventress and flung her over his shoulder.

Cody spoke into his coms, "Troub-"

But an incoming call from Waxer over lapped his, "The palace is under attack."

"Who?"

"Nite Owls, Death Watch, I don't know who they are, but get down here!"

Cody nodded and they started running back to their own ships, the two Zabraks were thrown into the backs of their transports with little ceremony.

Except when they landed and more trouble greeted them. Two more Zabraks met them on the landing platform.

"Luke Kenobi," the red skinned one said in sickly anticipation, "I've finally caught you away from your sire."

Luke could feel the darkness rolling off him in the Force, unlike the other two Zabraks they had apprehended, these two had unnatural yellow eyes rimmed in red.

Appo bellowed, " _Luke run!"_

From day one, Ben had told him to listen to the clones, listen to Appo, Appo who had left his unit, his battalion, and his General to follow Luke into exile.

So when Luintantiant Appo told him to run.

Luke ran.

The two Sith followed after him, and he ran like a stampede of Banthas were after him.

* * *

Obi-Wan wasn't sure why he kept expecting the best of people, because time after time, those people kept underwhelming his expectations.

Bo-Katan Kryze had helped him, sort of, rescue Satine from Death Watch. Not that she had followed through with that attempt, but she had saved him later on.

Which is why watching her blow a hole threw her nephew's heart broke his.

" _Bo-Katon!"_ Satine screamed as he, Satine's guards, and the clones worked through the Nite Owls/Death Watch to get to her side.

Bo-Katon jet-rocked across the throne room. And Obi-Wan killed two of Bo's men to get at her, but it wasn't soon enough.

Bo-Katon caught her older sister around the neck with her arm, and pointed a blaster at Satine's head.

The room froze.

Satine's hands clutched at Bo-Katon's arm. She was standing in the same spot that Darth Maul had choked her the last time, the macabre echo nearly brought Obi-Wan to his knees.

He couldn't live through this again.

But Satine had the breath to talk this time, and she hissed, "He was our nephew, how could you kill Korkie?"

"That boy was nothing, just as you are nothing. Do you think backtracking on all your ill conceived edicts will be enough to hide your weaknesses?"

"Please, Bo, you don't need to do this," Satine pleaded.

Obi-Wan was calculating how he could pull Bo-Katon's blaster out of her hands, but her finger was on the trigger. He reached out to the Force, looking for anything to help him.

"You were born weak, Satine, and you will die like the coward you are and I will lead in your place."

Satine went limp in her sister's arms, her head dipping, and Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, lifting Bo-Katon's blaster toward the ceiling.

Two things happened simultaneously, Bo's shot went wide, and Satine, who had been acting, used her show of submission to reach for a dagger in her boot. She brought that blade up and back into her sister's eye.

Bo-Katon reeled back screaming and was promptly tackled and subdued by two of Obi-Wan's men. Satine's guard used the shock of the moment to down the remaining Death Watch terrorists.

Obi-Wan was at Satine's side in a moment, wrapping his arms around her as she broke down. There wasn't much that could have affected her more than violence within her own family.

And just when he thought things couldn't get worse, Cody's voice came over the coms, "Sir, Darth Maul is chasing Luke down over building rooftops to the east of the palace, the other one, Savage Opress is with him."

Satine pushed Obi-Wan away, "Go!"

He was already turning to run, Cody arriving on a speeder bike on the steps outside.

He received one day of peace, and then the galaxy conspired against him.

* * *

Luke could feel Obi-Wan reaching out to him, but Luke didn't stop running until he ran out of rooftops. He reached for his saber when he reached the end lipped roof, the only jump to make was too far for him.

Yes, he had been learning a bit of Force enhanced leaping, but not enough for that distance.

"Kenobi's coming, brother," Maul said to the yellow skinned Zabrak, "Hold him off, I need time to play with our prey."

The other left without another word.

On the plus side to running around on a Star Destroyer for a few months was that Luke wasn't even short of breath while the Zabraks looked a little worse for wear.

On the downside, Luke had barely a week of training with a real lightsaber.

He ignited his a moment before the Sith did, this creature that so desperately wanted to ruin Obi-Wan's life and had already hurt him in ways past imagining.

Maul sneered at him, "Pink?"

"Orange," Luke corrected shortly, trying to remember everything he had seen of lightsaber duelling.

Maul chuckled, "Tainted so soon by the Dark? Is that why Kenobi kept you hidden, because you were tainted?"

Luke was going to die if Obi-Wan didn't get to him in time, so he had to give Obi-Wan time… He remembered what Anakin had said about Obi-Wan fighting with people's minds.

"You think you're so great? My birth father was more of Sith Lord than you'll ever be."

Maul chuckled as they began circling each other, "Kenobi has never strayed from his precious Light side, but once I'm down with you, he will!" He said the last while launching at Luke, their blades meeting with shocking intensity and sound. It was all Luke could do to pull away, retreating as far as he was able to.

Maul stalked him.

Luke was very aware that this creature was playing with him. His plan was torture instead of kill. Which was good, it gave him more time.

"Not him," Luke said blithely, "My birth father, Darth Vader, he's killed millions."

Surprise flickered across Maul's face, "You aren't Kenobi's son?"

"No, he rescued me from a Sith, my father to be exact, he's much more homicidal than you are. Obi-Wan said he's killed thousands of Jedi Knights and Masters, how many of you killed? Two?"

Maul roared, his slashes coming down in a blur of speed.

Maybe pissing him off had been the wrong move.

Luke was glad for all the ridiculous exercises the clones had been putting him through because he was able to run backwards, using his lightsaber as a sort of shield.

Luke flipped backwards and to the side when Maul tried to jump over him.

"You lie!" he cried, "My Master has only trained one other apprentice! There is no Darth Vader!"

Their blades locked, and Luke spoke over the sizzle of them, "Darth Vader is the galaxy's worst nightmare."

Maul bared his teeth, pressing down as the light of their sabers cast them in the colours of sunset, "And I am yours."

Luke scoffed as they broke apart, he held his blade at the ready, letting his doubts go to the Force, "I'm not afraid of you."

Maul snarled, "You will be."

Then he came at Luke in a swirl of red light and black cloth.

* * *

Savage's blade cut the front off of Cody's speeder as he tried to get Obi-Wan closer to Luke who was impossibly exchanging blows with Darth Maul.

Cody rolled away from the crash, while Obi-Wan used the moment of the crash to fling himself at and through Savage.

The Dathomiran might have caused him trouble when he fought with Maul decades, but on his own Savage was nothing.

And Obi-Wan killed him and moved forward as if he was nothing.

But he was too late.

" _LUKE!"_ Obi-Wan cried as his son, _his son_ dropped to the ground.

Maul turned on him, and their old song and dance continued.

Ben let his emotions go to the Force, he let everything go.

Luke was gone.

He had failed.

Again.

And again.

And again.

History was destined to repeat itself, any hope he had that the Force had been giving him a second chance to make things right had been a lie. A fantasy he lulled himself into believing.

Hope died in Ben then, hope died with Luke.

And so it seemed did the future.

Yet the Force was still with him, the Light was not lessened by his sorrow and despair.

He had lost, but Maul hadn't won.

"What does it take to turn you!?" Maul bellowed.

Ben didn't know.

"Maybe in the next life," he answered without emotion.

He would not betray his people, his men, Luke or Satine by turning to the Dark now.

There was nothing the Dark Side could offer him but more pain and suffering.

He had enough of that for eons to come.

Maul roared, "You killed my brother!"

"You didn't keep him safe," Ben said, "You choose revenge over peace, you choose death over hope."

Maul snarled and made the same motion he'd seen him take Luke down with, the same move that had stumbled Qui-Gon, the same motion that had gotten this Dathomirian killed on Tatooine.

And Ben ended him in the same way he had then, slashing downward through the Sith's hilt and lengthwise through his central body.

But this time Ben didn't catch him and offer his enemy words of solace. He let the Zabrak fall to his death, alone beneath the stars and the distant lights of city traffic.

Ben instead went to Luke, his last Padawan, his charge.

His child.

Kneeling, Ben put a hand to the side of his neck.

And he found a pulse.

"Luke!" he exclaimed.

Luke's eyes snapped open and he sat up so fast that their skulls smashed together.

"Ow!" Luke exclaimed, reaching for first his forehead before rubbing at his bruised chin where Maul had struck him with the middle of his hilt.

Obi-Wan pulled Luke into his arms, the tears spilling from his eyes as the reality of his still breathing son _being alive_ sunk in.

A moment later, Cody dropped to his knees beside them and pulled both Obi-Wan and Luke into his arms.

In the end, it was Cody and Luke who were holding Obi-Wan together as he let himself fully break down for the first time in twenty years.

The Force and all its Light seemed to embrace them.

He had been sure that he was about to lose everything today, again, but tonight, hope had beaten fear, and love had endured suffering.

His men were alive and free, Luke was alive, Satine was alive, and so too was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

* * *

KEYnote: Yes, Maul could have killed Luke, duh, but he was being a cat. Thoughts on this chapter, kittens, or feedback pretty please?


	11. Order 66

**COMPLETED:** I did it!!! _The Queen Does Not Need to Know_ is my best work and if you like my writing please check it out. And if you don’t like Rey, neither did I, so I gave Daisy Ridley an actual plot and character development, _La Gasp!_

(Its sequel _I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing_ is also up)

Beta: Thank you Nauze!

Chapter 11 - Order 66

High General Rex stood with his fellow council members within the Chancellor’s office.

“You will continue the battles on the planets you abandoned, you have already given Count Dooku and the Separatists too much advantage,” Chancellor Palpatine said.

Doom chuckled, “No.”

Palatine frowned at him, “What do you mean, ‘no’? No, your pulling back from the Outer Rims didn’t endanger us all, or no, you will not reengage? The latter, I will remind you, is treasonous.”

Trauma grinned, “It would only be treasonous if we were a part of the Grand Army of the Republic.”

Palpatine frowned at them, the deep scar that carved his cheek from the end of his brow to the curve of his jaw was the soft red of barely healed tissue. “You _are_ the Grand Army of the Republic.”

Doom giggled, “No, we aren’t.”

The Chancellor let out a long breath, “Are you proposing treason? The contract-”

“Has become null and void,” Wolffe said, “You signed that treaty with Kaminoins.”

“Yes, and the army was paid for.”

Wolffe smiled, “And yet Kamino was never a part of the Galactic Republic, the only thing that allied them with you was that contract.”

“Yes,” Palpatine said slowly, “And to desert remains a crime.”

Rex didn’t smile as he said, “And yet slavery is also a crime, is it not?”

The Chancellor was unamused as well, “You are soldiers, not slaves. Your contracts were signed and legalized.”

None of the Jedi had spoken up.

Doom got closer to Palpatine’s desk, “We will repeat, Kamino was never a part of the Galactic Republic. You nor the Senate have any jurisdiction over us.”

“The contracts-” the Chancellor attempted to say.

But Rex cut him off, “Are null and void.”

Palpatine sneered, “Lama Su would have to return the credits in full and destroy the contracts under a number of conditions. I have heard no word from Lama Su-”

Doom laughed, “And you will never hear from that Long Neck again. Lama Su has lost all rights, he sits in a rather cramped prison cell, where he will remain for the rest of his days.”

Palpatine’s face went blank, “Treason-”

“No,” Rex said, “Not treason. A revolution. The Revolution of Clones, which should come to no one’s surprise, we won. Kamino is no more, the System of Zuko is now under our command. And it is at our discretion, we find the contract you signed with the now powerless Long Necks, to be a violation of human rights. We consider it slavery. And in the System of Zuko, slavery is illegal, and unlike within the Republic, we enforce that law.”

The Chancellor stood, “You would condemn the Republic?”

Monnk spoke for the first time, “We are allies of the Jedi, and the Jedi have recognized us as an unofficial part of yet the fifth Corps; the Defense Corps. You may take back your civilian officers, we will take no orders that do not come directly from the Jedi High Council.”

The Chancellor lifted a hand to rub his face, but his hand hovered over the scar, and he let his hand drop, “The Jedi High Council serves the Republic.”

Mace Windu finally spoke up, “We do, but your authority and that of the Senate’s has been put up for discussion.”

“Excuse me?”

“We feel that you overstepped when you exiled Master Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Order. The Jedi used to rule the Republic, we made it, we serve it, but when we relinquished power to the greater Republic, it was for the purpose of having more freedom to serve the Force. Nowhere in our laws or yours, at no point in history, has the sitting Chancellor, without the approval of the Senate, directly dictated the Order's internal affairs. Therefore, your commands are,” Mace paused as if thinking over his words, “suspended, until the matter and parameters of the Order's specific relation to the Senate is put into writing and has unanimous support by the Senate.”

A flash of cold fury swept the aged man’s face, “There is no such thing as a unanimous decision within the Senate.”

Master Ti smiled, “Well, I’m sure after a few years in court, the matter could be decided.”

“We are at war now,” Palpatine said in a low voice, “And I have wartime majority-”

“But this isn’t a discussion about the war, it’s the foundation of the Jedi People within the Republic. The matter of defence of the Republic falls to the Jedi in times when the Senate is hindered for any cause. It is the Jedi Order itself that has wartime powers.”

“You are a part of the Republic and under Senate control!”

“Only by choice,” Master Yoda said, “Contested, never have we, but separate from the Senate are we able to function. Your own forces must you now rely.”

Palpatine gestured to the clones, “They are my army.”

Doom grinned, “Nope, we’ve been over this. We are freemen. We are Zukarians. It is our discretion to help whom we choose.”

Trauma’s grin was more a baring teeth, “And as we are not taking money from the Jedi, which means our continued service is not a job. We are no more slaves then we are mercenaries.”

“The credits the Republic paid-”

“Is dark money, seized by the Zukarian government. By our laws, that money goes directly to our public trust,” Rex said, “We are not giving you back blood money.”

“That money-”

“Came at the price of thousands of our lives,” Rex said, “We owe you nothing. You owe us.”

Palpatine turned his ire on Master Yoda, “The Republic has no other forces.”

“Your problem, that is,” Yoda said back pleasantly.

Colour rose in the man’s cheeks, “How can the Order be making these decisions? You do not even have a full Council.”

“Present, the Council is,” Yoda said.

“I count seven, one who isn’t even a Master Jedi.”

“Twelve, there are. Here, all are.”

Palpatine frowned, and it took him a minute to realize who those twelve were. “They aren’t even Jedi!”

“It is the High Council that the Council is chosen. We can choose whomever we like. High Generals Wolffe, Doom, Trauma, Monnk, and Rex, are our chosen,” Mace said.

Palpatine’s hands fisted on the table as he leaned forward, “Half the Senate is dead, another quarter is still in the hospital, and the greater Galactic Republic is crying out for blood against the Separatists.”

“Your problem, that is,” Master Yoda said kindly, folding his small clawed hands over his staff, “Revenge, the way of the Jedi, it is not.”

Rex would cherish the look on the Chancellor’s face for the rest of his existence. This slimy bastard that played with lives like trinkets, who thought to turn him and his brothers against the only beings in the galaxy that gave a damn about them.

They were all in high spirits that day until the sun began to set, and a message came through every Zukarians coms.

“ _Execute Order 66.”_

Many of their brothers were in the Jedi Temple or surrounding it. More were still holding the lines against contested areas in the wider galaxy with their Jedi Generals and Commanders.

It was horrific to be fully confronted with what could have become of them all just a few weeks sooner when the chips had yet to be removed.

Master Mace Windu bowed his head as he stood beside Rex after the message played before him.

“I trusted the Chancellor,” he said brokenly, “I trusted a Sith and nearly condemned us all.”

Rex put a hand on his shoulder, “We weren’t too late.”

Mace sighed, “We have our proof of Darth Sidious’s identity, but the Senate is enraged, afraid, and broken. If we attack the Chancellor with this, if we remove him by force…”

Rex squeezed the man’s shoulder, “Then we do what needs to be done, what the Republic wants us to do. We kill General Grievous, and we bring Dooku before the Senate.”

Plo nodded, “The Sith have no loyalty. I believe he meant to kill Palpatine that day. If we can apprehend Dooku, he will turn on his Sith Master.”

Aalya crossed her arms, “Which means we are still stuck in this war.”

“It is not the same,” Monnk said, “The Chancellor was informing the Count of all our positions and plans. It was a stacked game. But the Chancellor will no longer be privy to our council.”

Doom stroked his beard, “And though we lost a lot of Senate members, it was proportionally low losses on a military scale. We demolished Dooku’s forces. Only a few smaller ships escaped orbit.”

Trauma grinned, “Add in the massive losses the Separatists wasted on the Ilum siege.”

Rex dropped his hand and shook his head, “That wasn’t a siege, we didn’t suffer any losses and it was over in a matter of hours.”

Depa smiled, “Which means that the Separatist army is down to scraps.”

“And with Darth Sidious revealed with no army of his own, he won’t be able to fund both sides,” Mace said, “Dooku is not likely to have the time or resources to replenish his forces.”

“Hide well, do the Sith,” Yoda remarked sadly.

Mace nodded, “Dooku might go underground completely.”

“Which means the Separatist movement will fall apart on its own,” Rex said. “The droids are not smart enough to be independent, Grievous is a pain on the field but strategy-wise, he isn’t much better than the droids. Dooku doesn’t even have Ventress anymore.”

Monnk was the last to speak, “Then we must continue to search, keep him running, rebuild where we can. And it will become a political game to take Darth Sidious out of office.”

“At which point, we can kill him,” Shaak Ti said.

Everyone looked at her, she was not a violent female. She met their looks, “I served on Zuko for too long. The Chancellor wanted to send all those precious souls to war for his game, he wanted to genocide our people as well. This is not something that can be forgiven.”

Rex looked over the traffic and buildings shimmering the last rays of light from the setting and said, “The Sith wanted a war, will give them a war.”

* * *

Ahsoka was looking between her Master and Kix.

But they said no more.

She swallowed hard, “Three months of recovery, and I _might_ be able to walk again?”

It was ridiculous, that couldn’t be possible. Darth Maul had been chopped in half, yet both her legs were whole.

“You _will_ walk again,” Anakin asserted.

Ahsoka looked at Kix.

Kix smiled at her sadly, “There are many in your position who have never regained full mobility. Your pelvis was shattered, Commander Tano.”

“But I’m healed now,” she said, “You had me in a kriffing bacta tank for nearly a month!”

“Yes, but your cells had to rejuvenate. It will take another few months before your body even has the resources to give you proper nutrition. As for your ability to relearn how to walk… That battle will not be a physical one.”

“What do you mean it won’t be physical?” she demanded, “The question is will I _physically_ be able to walk.”

“Because, relearning to walk is painful. You don’t realize how many muscles you need to just raise a foot, much less balance weight on a limb until you no longer have any muscle strength. You will feel stupid, you will feel hopeless, it will become easier to be in a wheel chair or hover craft, it-”

“I’m a Jedi, Kix! I know how hard training can be!”

He smiled at her sadly, “Rumour has it you were head of your Initiate group in dueling and all physical tasks. You were a natural.”

She raised her chin, “I am a natural.”

He nodded, “And that is what has been taken from you.”

Ahsoka felt her heart twist, and she shoved away her immediate understanding of what he had said. “You’re wrong,” she said, “I am a Jedi and I am strong enough to regain everything I lost.”

“You do, Ahsoka,” Kix said, the first time she could remember any of the troops addressing her by her first name, “But healing and relearning is not going to come naturally. You are going to need help.”

“I get that,” she said, “I’m a Padawan _learner.”_

He nodded, “Of course, Commander. But as it is now. Two months of bedrest, and then a month of low supervised movement.”

“I thought you said I was healed.”

“All your bone fragments have been realigned, yes, but you must keep weight and stress off your pelvis. I’m afraid you’ll have to be mostly prone. And the tissue damage, while healing, will be quite tender. I’m going to keep you on regular pain medication before nightfall so you can sleep peacefully. But generally-”

“It’s going to be really boring,” Anakin summarized, “but you’re going to put up with whatever Kix tells you to do because you want to get better.”

Ahsoka was shaking inside and she was sure at any point that she was going to fall to pieces. Which felt selfish, given how many people had died. She was alive, she should be grateful, and she was, but…

“How long after I learn how to walk will it take me to relearn how to fight?” she asked.

Kix looked to Anakin, who gave the medic wide eyes, and Kix sighed, “Commander Tano, with your track record, I expect _if_ you manage to relearn how to walk, you will be running soon after. As for being able to use a super deadly lazer sword at the deadly accuracy you were able to before? That, I am not sure of, for hand to hand and arms training, I would tell my men a year of training. But I understand that lightsabers are as much an art as it is fighting. So in truth, I cannot say. I only know that six months after being able to walk, and with consistent exercise and maintaining your health, your body should be able to handle whatever you put it through that you were able to before your injury.”

_If._

If she managed to relearn how to walk…

_If._

“Can I have-” the words choked off as tears stung her eyes.

But Kix understood, and ushered Anakin out. She didn't even hear her Master say goodnight, already slipping into her own turmoil.

She closed her eyes and tried with all her might to not feel sorry for herself.

But what she couldn’t get out of her mind was the prospect of never being able to use her lightsabers again. Could she even become a Jedi Knight without her legs?

Would she even deserve it if she failed to stand on her own two feet?

She managed to bury the tears, and she drank down her own fears like poison. She felt paralyzed, because in that moment, she realized that if she failed in this, her entire life would be for nothing.

* * *

Anakin shoved Kix as soon as the door shut. “What the Kark was that? _‘If’?_ Why did you keep putting it like that? You told me she could and _would_ make a full recovery.”

Kix stood to attention, “General Skywalker, I have been yours and Commander Tano’s medic for nearly three years now.”

“Yeah,” Anakin agreed, “But that doesn’t give you the rig-”

“If I told her she would definitely recover, which is likely true because she _is_ capable, then for the next five months, we will hear nothing but her complaints about how slowly she is healing. But if I were to tell you or her that you can’t or that it is unlikely for you to be capable of doing something, it basically ensures that you will do the opposite. I suspect she will be back to normal, if not better than she was, in six to eight months.”

“But you just said-”

“See, I just told you what you wanted to hear, and you are still arguing with me.”

Anakin flushed, “I’m- You saw her face. She was distraught.”

Kix sighed, “I am not worried about her relearning how to walk, General. I’m worried about the next two months. She won’t be able to use the restroom without help, she won’t be able to bathe herself, or dress herself. Those are going to be the hard parts. Her lack of privacy, her lack of independence, those will be the harrowing challenges ahead of her.”

“Her friend, Barriss Offee, she’s a healer. Would it be better or worse for her to be assigned to Ahsoka?”

Kix pulled out his datapad and started reviewing the young Knight’s profile. “Help. It will help them both, I think. Healer Offee has been tagged as being pushed to her limits. Assigning her to a single patient, a friend, for two months will likely do her much more good than the time they are proposing she takes off. For Commander Tano, having a friend, and a friend who needs her in turn… Yes, this will be good.”

Anakin sighed, rubbing his face. “Well, there’s some good news at least.”

Kix smiled at her, “She is alive, there is much to be grateful for.”

Anakin nodded, “She isn’t going to like me having to retrain her.”

“Why not?” Kix asked.

Anakin was looking off into the distance, “Because she trained herself for much of her Form. I trained her how to fight, not truly her Form. Obi-Wan would actually be a better teacher for her. He has a better grasp of the basics than I ever bothered with.”

“Isn’t Luke new to learning Form as well?” Kix asked.

“Yes, Obi-Wan just started training him with lightsabers a little over a month ago.”

“Then perhaps once she starts walking, you visit Mandalore as there will be few in her age group having to relearn form. She will likely know more than Luke, and as you mentioned, General Kenobi will be there to help her.”

Anakin nodded, “It might assuage her from being relieved of duty until she is back to fighting form.”

Kix opened his mouth to say something, but a hologram appeared of Chancellor Palpatine.

_“Execute Order 66.”_

Kix paled, and then Anakin felt a cry of sorrow and anger ring through the Force, both from Kix and from elsewhere throughout and around the Temple.

Rage stole over Kix’s face, he flung his datapad against the wall stomped on it, breaking the shattered datapad into fragments.

“Kix?” Anakin asked, reaching out to his medic.

Kix flinched back from him, “Don’t touch me!”

“What’s wrong?” Anakin asked, “What was that? What’s Order 66?”

Kix wouldn’t meet his gaze, “Proof.”

“Proof of what?” 

Kix just shook his head and walked away down the hall, leaving Anakin alone with the shattered datapad and his worries.

* * *

Cody felt rage sweep through him as the image of the Chancellor appeared, _“Execute Order 66.”_

Obi-Wan stood beside him, tears trailed down the man’s face.

Cody was afraid to ask, but right then, he was pretty sure this was going to be his only opportunity to ask him about it. Because whatever the chips would have done to him and his brothers, stripping away their will and minds.

It was Obi-Wan who had actually lost everything.

“How bad was it?”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes sitting on the bench behind him, “You killed us all, Anakin helped the 105th slaughter everyone in the Temple.”

“I don’t understand how the Jedi couldn’t have sensed that change.”

Obi-Wan looked up at him, “We trusted you. Your sudden hostility… it was so random. Too absurd to even understand what was happening.”

“But you were in danger, the Force tells you-”

“But you were you. Cody, for most of us, General’s especially, we gave up on memorizing everyone’s names, even the number system. But I could tell you blindfolded walking through a full assembly, which men belonged to which battalion. We learned to identify you all in the Force. You were an extension of us, we more than trusted you; by the third year of the war, you were us. We may have been losing troops by the thousands, but we were losing knights and Padawans in droves as well. We mourned you as much as our own. It was all suffering, lights extinguished in the dark.”

“So when we turned on you…”

“You were the same lights that surrounded and protected us. We would no more think to kill you then we would our own Padawans and fellow Knights. By the time any of us could truly process the shift-”

“It was too late,” Cody said softly.

Obi-Wan looked up at him, “I thought of you often over the years that followed.”

“Do you know what became of me?”

“I heard rumours that you taught at the Imperial Academy, on Mandalore as it so happens. But I never left Tatooine.”

“That must have been hell.”

“It was nothing I didn’t deserve.”

Cody sat beside him, “You did not deserve any of this, no more than we did. As you said, we were a part of you. It breaks my heart to think I could have been forced to raise a weapon against you.”

“You don’t know what I did to Anakin.”

“Anakin betrayed you?”

“He was the Chancellor’s pet project. He pushed Anakin over the edge.”

“What did you do?”

“I cut off all his limbs and left him to burn to death on the edge of a river of lava.”

Cody absorbed that horror and couldn’t help but ask, “But why? You love him.”

“I do. And that love blinded me to what was happening to him. To what Palpatine had been doing to him. I saw the bodies of younglings, of our elder Masters in the Temple, and then I saw the footage of Anakin killing them. I gave into revenge. I wanted to hurt, I wanted him to regret what he had done.”

“That’s understandable,” Cody said.

“It isn’t,” Obi-Wan said staring out over the balcony, “I am a Jedi Master, I should have killed him. Simply killed him. Millions, possibly billions, suffered for my cowardice.”

It took Cody a moment, and he was appalled, “Are you telling me he survived losing all his limbs and being burned alive?”

“I am, and for my brothers and sisters who managed to survive Order 66, he hunted them down as well. He killed any Force sensitive who crossed him, no matter who they were, no matter their age or position.”

“I thought it was overkill when you had Darth Maul cremated and his ashes scattered.”

Obi-Wan smiled at him without humour, “Overkill, isn’t dead enough when it comes to the Sith.”

“You still don’t deserve it,” Cody said.

“I was Anakin’s Master, his friend, his brother; I failed him.”

“No,” Cody said, “You are not Anakin, he made his own choices. It was reasonable to think he would have died from what you described.”

“I cut Maul in half, and that wasn’t good enough. I should have known to end Darth Vader. I lost Satine because of my repeated failure to kill a Sith, and I lost my entire people because-”

“Because evil is real, and all we can do is our best against it,” Cody said.

“I failed.”

“Yet here we are,” he asserted.

Obi-Wan bowed his head, “I was lucky.”

“No, you were strong. You kept Luke alive in your time. And I believe that kid could save the galaxy if that responsibility was placed on him.”

Obi-Wan met his gaze, “And that’s exactly how I failed Anakin, I told him over and over again that he was the Chosen One. I was going to do the same to Luke. That isn’t something I should ask of anyone.”

“Your Master was the one who told you to train Skywalker, right?”

Obi-Wan nodded, “It was his dying wish.”

“It seems to me that it wasn’t Anakin who was tasked with saving the galaxy, but you.”

“I’m not the Chosen One.”

“No, yet you’re the one who accepted all the blame.”

Obi-Wan said nothing.

Cody laid a hand on his shoulder, “The fate of the galaxy cannot be laid at one man’s feet.”

Blue eyes met his brown, “Thank you, brother.”

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, _swimming_ dolphins, or feedback? Pretty please?


	12. A Disappointment

KEYnote: _There will be another chapter this week._ This is not a real chapter, **you may skip it.** But it was also requested by many. Also, Nauze is amazing.

Chapter 12 - What the Kark is Happening?

 **Mini Summary:** The inhibitor chips were taken out after the bombing of the Senate. The Jedi are in hot water for not stopping said attack and protecting Ilum instead. The Council, partially in fear that the clones will be taken away from by the Senate, make the clones officially a part of them. The Clones took over Kamino, renaming the planet Zuko and renaming themselves Zukarians. Palpatine tries to execute Order 66, not because of a tantrum, but because of the sheer number of clones in the Temple. The Jedi and the clones would likely never be that close together, and even though it is unlikely that clones could have killed the Council, the Jedi having to kill their newly elected members would be bad. And Obi-Wan is married and the new Duke of Mandalore, and the 212th officially split from the GAR and are Mandalorian citizens, legally, Luke, Appo, and the 212th have been adopted by Obi-Wan and Satine.

 **Summary Of Plot Important Factors:** A lot of people asked for a summary (and likely only wanted a brief one) and I thank everyone who is putting up with my artistic process of ten stories at once, just know that the things I put you through are nothing to the inside of my head which is a hellscape and it's snowing. And yes, this was supposed to be a short summary, and then I realized all the political nuances I was expecting you to be following…

Also, a few elaborations :D

This story starts out with Obi-Wan and Luke being thrown into the past, Obi-Wan's younger form appearing with/as him on Tatooine. Obi-Wan does the math and realizes he should be on Umbara. Luke has his first pilot experience where, for those of you who have watched the Clone Wars episodes, gets into that shenanigans with a significantly less loss of life. Obi-Wan splices two of Pong Krell's hands and has him dragged behind one of those mini-walkers for the duration of that battle. Pong Krell is now in prison, somehow, wink-wink, he needed all four of his arms amputated and he eats his meals lying on his stomach in Jedi prison, where he will grow old and die, alone and crazy.

After saving the Togrutas on Kiros and taking down the Zygerrian fledgeling Empire who are an ancient enemy of the Jedi, Obi-Wan came back to Coruscant where he realized that he couldn't handle working, even in pretence, with Palpatine. Instead of confronting him as a Sith Lord, Obi-Wan baited Palpatine into demoting and exiling him in front of Anakin, the Council, and Mon Mothra. Obi-Wan openly accused Palpatine of working with Dooku and revealing that it was Dooku, not Sifo-Dyas (in Legends it's Plagueis followed by Dooku) who greenlighted the clones to be made. Obi-Wan made it clear that he thought Palpatine was the only one benefiting from the war to his benefit. Of course, exiling the beloved General Obi-Wan Kenobi is among the stupidest things one could do, especially after a military success against a slave empire.

Palpatine's actions had the fallout of super bad press, spearheaded by conspiracy theories and a strategic dismantling of his reputation by Mon, and her friends, Padme and Bail. It's also at this point that Padme accepts, as does Anakin, that it was likely Palpatine who orchestrated the Naboo Crisis. Although Obi-Wan never directly calls out Palpatine as a Sith Lord, the Council is able to piece together that Chancellor Palpatine is probably the Sith Lord they are looking for. However, the Jedi Council holds back on taking action because they realized that Palpatine is trying to pin the war on the Jedi Order. Palpatine having the power to exile General Kenobi means that it is the Chancellor who truly holds the ropes, i.e. anything the Jedi can be blamed for will publicly be accepted as Palpatine's fault.

This should have been the end of his career. It really, really should have been.

The Jedi retreat their Forces from the frontlines, worrying that they are participating in a Sith scheme. Their forces occupy only willingly Republic or truly in need territories, which almost causes a ceasefire during the Civil War.

Luke and Obi-Wan, along with Appo and the entire 212th go rogue. Our two time travellers have made their lightsabres on Ilum, where they fought off an attack from Dooku's fleets, a mass amount of battle droids. All of which were easily stopped by Ilum's ion cannons. Upon hearing that Ilum was under attack, mind you, a single crate of kyber can be used for a number of weapons and even shields to repel lightsabers, the Jedi Council sends a few battalions that were stationed on Coruscant to help illuminate this threat.

Obi-Wan and Luke find it odd that Count Dooku, who was a Jedi Master, who knew the types of defences Ilum had would ever attack there. They realize that it is a trap too late.

Dooku and Palpatine came up with a scheme, and Dooku took the opportunity to try and usurp his Sith Master. His bombing of the Senate building, though planned, Sidious had not planned on being in the building when the bombs went off. It is really only misfortune that he survived at all. The initial bombing killed five of the High Jedi Council members who had been exiting the building and killed about half of the Galactic Republic's senate representatives. This bombing was only made possible because of Palpatine and because they purposely left the Jedi Temple alone, thus not raising any suspicions there. While the Senate building is still collapsing, Dooku takes almost all of his remaining forces and attacks, ya'know that huge ass fight scene in the beginning of _The Revenge of the Sith_ , only at night, with a lot more numbers on either side and the Senate building itself being the prime target.

Nevertheless, our clone troopers and Jedi Knights prove most victorious and crush Dooku's forces. Dooku himself reaches the Senate in person where he makes another attempt on Palpatine's life. Palpatine screamed like a bunny and got a pretty face scar by his loyal and friendly Sith apprentice.

Grievous is absent in this fight, as he is in a battle somewhere off in the galaxy that Council Member Depa Billiba was also at. Dooku didn't invite him because Grievous is loyal to both him and Palpatine.

Dooku and Mace duel. Mace as the younger man, is winning, his Vapaad, i.e. redirecting the Dark Side at the Dark Sider, easily making him Dooku's equal. Until Count Dooku is able to reign himself back in and switch to relying on the Light Side. Why? Because Dooku is a badass, and the only Sith I can personally name who wasn't a raging psycho nor pushed to the Dark Side, but actively chose to become what he was. Therefore, I think he's the only one, Master Jedi as he was, to have the cojones to flip between Dark and Light at will.

Sir Christopher Lee is also smarter in this story because he has realized Palpatine's plans don't include him.

Anywhos, Mace was going to die but was saved by the dome they were fighting on literally collapsing beneath them. Dooku gets away, the GAR technically wins the day, but the Senate is left in absolute chaos.

This chaos gives Palpatine full control again, and any conspiracy theories against him will be brushed away as just another scream in the din. The Jedi come out of this looking terrible because it was their defence of Ilum, a Jedi territory that has no population, and left Coruscant open for attack. The Jedi Council at this point are more certain than ever that Palpatine is a Sith Lord.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan has told the 212th about the chips as they are leaving Ilum. Cody contacts the other battalions who are able to keep it a secret from the non-clones. Obi-Wan and Luke have landed on Mandalore and the timeline was tripped up enough that somehow got Asajj Ventress returning to Dathomir, attaining a new apprentice from Mother Talzin, Feral Opress, who was healed to be used as leverage against Savage Opress if the need ever arose. Savage, Feral, and Asajj team up to find Darth Maul, which leads to the four of them teaming up with Death Watch and the Nite Owls, with a mirror plan of the one from the Clone Wars series that ended with Satine murdered by Maul.

However, Obi-Wan is savvy enough of this potential threat, as are Satine's guard, that when the entire 212th takes station, Death Watch's plans are put on pause. Naturally, Darth Maul doesn't care and Savage is right there with them. Asajj stops Feral from dying, again.

Obi-Wan and Satine get married and adopt the 212th, Appo, and Luke officially breaking them from the Jedi Order and the GAR. Obi-Wan becomes Duke Obi-Wan Kenobi because he is credited with getting Satine to lift the pacifism ban and revoking warriors' exile from Concordia Moon. Obi-Wan also becomes the founder of Concordia Academy of Mandalore.

The palace is attacked soon after their marriage. Led by Bo-Katan, Death Watch and the Nite Owls are able to do a sneak attack. Korkie dies, Bo loses an eye. Everyone who attacked them dies aside from Bo-Katan, Asajj Ventress, and Feral who are all in prison on Mandalore.

Maul tries torturing Luke, but Luke is a good Padawan and listens to Appo; he runs away from the Sith like a sane person. Luke is able to give Obi-Wan enough time to get there. Luke drops from that move Maul used on Qui-Gon where he got hit below his jaw with the centre of the hilt. Maul wasn't trying to kill Luke but Obi-Wan was beyond done with this bantha-shit and slays Savage and Maul without so much as a quip.

Last chapter, the clones reveal that they have taken over Kamino, renaming the system Zuko, the clones are now Zukarians, and freeing themselves from the contracts and keeping the credits that the Republic paid to them. Yes, they are independently wealthy. Very, very wealthy.

On the Jedi High Council now sits 1-Mace, 2-Yoda, 3-Kit Fisto, 4-Plo Koon, 5-Shaak Ti, 6-Depa Billaba, 7-Aayla Secura, 8-Doom, 9-Trauma, 10-Monnk, 11-Wolffe, and 12-Rex. Only Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Kenobi, and the Council among the Jedi know about the chips.

Chancellor Palpatine attempts to execute Order 66 revealing himself to the Jedi Council as the, in fact, Dark Lord they have been looking for; Darth Sidious. However, the chips have all been removed for a few weeks. Palpatine did this because the Jedi Temple has been flooded with clones, even the younglings from Zuko have been brought to the Temple. If the chips had been in play, Order 66 would have killed at least half of the Jedi, almost all of the younglings, initiates and young Padawans. This would have also resulted in the Jedi killing nearly every single clone.

There would have been no easy way for the Jedi to explain why they killed the GAR. Palpatine had no use for an army that could only be turned against him.

Yet even now the Jedi cannot arrest/kill Palpatine because the Senate would believe the Jedi are the enemy. Therefore, the game is set; the Republic is crippled and in chaos, the Separatists are broke and basically army-less, while on the other hand, Mandalore, Zuko, and the Jedi Order are stronger than they have ever been, and with clear eyes as to what is happening around them.

The goals are now: Get Palpatine out of the Senate through political means, then kill him, hopefully capture Count Dooku and get him to testify before a lifetime imprisonment, and kill Grievous. Which means they continue the war and the politics.

Obi-Wan still has plenty to mess with Anakin about, Ahsoka gots some healing to do and Luke has some learning to do.

Phew, *wipes brow* I think that's the gist of it. Sorry to disappoint with a non-chapter, but I will update this fic again this week. As a reward for getting through this: I give you Qui-Gon and Tahl.

* * *

 **Tahl:** So you figured out how to manipulate reality as a dead man and your first thought was, instead of, I don't know, killing Palpatine yourself, you take poor Obi-Wan from the hellscape on Tatooine and dump him back into the Clone Wars?

 **Qui-Gon:** My dearest Tahl, if I had brought him back any further he would have had to either deal with teenager Ani, again, or deal with me, those seem like cruel punishments.

 **Tahl:** Okay, first, he misses you terribly, and second, why time travel? Why not just change something else in the timeline?

 **Qui-Gon:** Because if I would alter the timeline they wouldn't have understood what was at stake. The clones might never have been born, and-

 **Tahl:** And what? Tell me, Qui-Gon, tell me why Obi-Wan had to suffer like this? The Force gave you one chance, one single opportunity to change the course of reality, what was so precious-

 **Qui-Gon:** Luke.

_There was a silence._

**Tahl** (whose energy twirled in the Force around Qui-Gon) **:** His son.

 **Qui-Gon:** In all realities that have ever been or will ever be, Obi-Wan always understood how dear Luke was to the wider galaxy. But only in this reality, does he fully understand how dear Luke is to him.

 **Dooku** (who dies at some point in the future but time is meaningless within the Force itself so here Sir Lee) **:** This does not mean, my dearest Padawan, that you are not an insufferable pest upon the galaxy.

 **Qui-Gon** (rolls his non-existent eyes at his old Master, the sentiment wordlessly understood) **.**

 **Tahl** (Spun away laughing in the Force, a streak of starlight, Qui-Gon following after her like dust off a comet) **.**

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed the summary, we have about five chapters left, everything is thoroughly plotted but if there are any particular scenes or meetings between characters you would like to see, _speak now._


	13. A Betting Game

Beta: Nauze is incredible. Fact.

Chapter 13 - A Betting Game

Ahsoka had argued with Anakin when she said she couldn’t return to active duty. She was a Commander for Force’s sake. She should have been able to do something.

But Kix said that going back, even as an advisor would put her through needless stress.

So, of course, she continued to argue.

Which is when Rex came in.

Rex, who had very nearly given his life for hers.

Ahsoka didn’t know why she thought Rex would have been on her side, Fives certainly seemed somewhat moved by her arguments.

But High General Rex?

Ahsoka wasn’t sure if it was his military training or if being put on the High Council came with the ability, or maybe the prerequisite, of being able to talk the person down, to scream without screaming, to simply-

Ahsoka couldn’t remember ever being chewed out that badly before.

Rex had been less angry with her wanting to rejoin the field, though he had flat-out forbade it, which he had the power to do now, and angrier about her fighting him when the bombs went off in the Senate building.

She hadn’t meant to fight him, it was just a knee jerk reaction to being tackled.

But Rex did not seem to care for that argument.

When the bombs went off, you went for cover.

When help was offered, you took it.

It was a very black and white argument, and no argument she could come up with swayed him in the slightest.

Finally, she had bowed her head and apologized.

“Don’t apologize,” Rex had said, “Do better next time. For now, do as Kix says and take care of yourself. Trust us to take care of the rest.”

Her cheeks had burned with shame.

That night, Barriss climbed onto her cot with her, “It’s going to be okay.”

Ahsoka could only nod, feeling like a child who needed to be taken care of. She felt helpless and utterly useless.

Some Jedi she turned out to be.

* * *

Luke was almost sure Obi-Wan and the clones were trying to kill him.

The Concordia Academy of Mandalore had been constructed in record time. Luke found himself exactly where he wanted to be all his life.

He was truly happy, and seriously getting his butt kicked. Luke’s brothers were having him try out every obstacle course they could dream up while his ‘Master’ was having him find his limits.

As Luke was discovering, his limits existed past his endurance.

Everyone seemed a little too happy assisting him building up said endurance.

Luke slipped, sliding into as he avoided being hit by a moving wall. Then dodged as a ceiling beam came down toward him.

Appo called it. Smirking down at him, he asked, “You good, little Kenobi?”

Luke swiped his sweat-drenched hair back, “Sure, feel like dragging my corpse back to my quarters?”

Obi-Wan dropped down from the viewing stage, “Unfortunately, necromancy is not among the Jedi’s talents.”

Luke sighed, “I can’t move.”

“Sure you can,” Appo said, “You’ve only been at this for,” he checked the time, “five hours.”

Luke shut his eyes, “I’m coming. If Anakin was here, he would take pity on me.”

Obi-Wan sat on the floor crossed legged, “Doubtful, but I’m sure telling him about the time travel will have him come running.”

Luke shook his head, “I’ll tell him after we’ve killed Palpatine. No need to traumatize the man.”

Obi-Wan patted his knee, “Come, sit up, just meditation for today, then you can rest.”

Luke pulled himself up with a groan, his muscles shaking, “Do I even want to know what you have planned for tomorrow?”

Cody grinned, sitting down to meditate with him, so far, it was only Cody and Appo who had come around to enjoying meditation, the rest of his brothers had not been quite as content with being still for that long. 

“That would depend,” Commander Cody said.

“On what?” Luke asked with accurate amounts of suspicion.

“On whether or not you want to have nightmares tonight.”

Luke sighed and said with real feeling, “I despise you all.”

They laughed.

* * *

Things had not exactly been going well for Anakin. Sure, the civil war was at a stand-still and slavers were getting picked off like the vermin they were, and the Hutt Empire was on the frits now that their strongest weapons, their Mandalorian bounty hunters, were now turned against them.

But on the flipside, his mentor outside the Order, his friend, the man he had trusted more than anyone outside of Padme, was almost definitely a Sith Lord.

There was nothing they could do about it without the Republic turning on the Jedi Order, which would spark a second civil war, which, in turn, would only benefit Count Dooku.

Then there was his Padawan, who was breathing and healing, but also hurting and more depressed than he had ever seen her.

More than two months had passed, and Kix said she was healing remarkably well, yet she remained unable to stand without aid.

It broke Anakin’s heart.

Padme’s arms came around his bare waist, as he sat on the edge of her bed waiting for dawn to rise. “Today’s a new day, Ani, every day she gets stronger.”

Anakin ran his hands over hers, “I think it’s time we move her to Mandalore. I wanted to wait until she was walking again, but…” he sighed, “the front is starting to re-engage. Dooku’s allies are getting restless, and the Hutts have been funding some of those ties.”

“She will be okay. Obi-Wan and Luke will be there for her,” Padme said, kissing his shoulder.

He leaned into her embrace, “Ahsoka isn’t going to want to go.”

She rested her head between his shoulder blades, “It will help, more than it will hurt. She is going to heal and get better.”

He sighed, “I know. But it feels like everything has changed, and yet…”

“Going back will feel the same?”

He turned to her so he could pull her into his arms, “It won’t be the same, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka won’t be with me, and Rex is somehow my superior.”

“You aren’t actually bothered by that, are you?”

He smiled slightly, “Only in regards that I can’t moan about the Council like I did before. The six new Council members, Aayla included, are so different from the rest of the Council.” 

“Different from Obi-Wan, you mean,” she said softly.

Anakin looked at her, “I miss him.”

“I know.”

“I even miss how he used to be. I know this war was pushing him some, but I didn’t realize quite how much. But then I guess there are a lot of things I don’t know about him.”

“Ani,” Padme said hesitantly.

“What is it?” he asked, his attention focusing on her.

“Did you ever think that maybe if we had told him, he might have been…”

“More open with me?” he asked, resigned, “Yeah, I do, but I don’t think I was wholly wrong not to tell him either. He didn’t get married, he said he didn’t even know she was pregnant until Luke was born, then he gave his son up. He did right by the Order.”

“He also checked up on Luke,” Padme said softly.

His heart ached, “He could have kept up with my mother too, if I had known.”

“What would you have done in his place?”

He sighed, “I don’t know. I respect him more for taking his son as a Padawan, and I respect him for leaving the Order, for marrying Satine publicly, but-” He sighed again.

Padme touched his face and prompted, “But?”

“But I’m an adult now. Obi-Wan and I will always be friends, family, but I couldn’t abandon Ahsoka. She was so close to be knighted, but now…”

“She needs you.”

He kissed her palm, “I won’t take her back into active duty, not even as a consultant, she needs to rest.”

“Ahsoka understands, she might not like it, but she understands that her injury is such that she is lucky to be alive.”

“I somewhat feel as though that was Rex’s doing.”

Padme sniggered, “Kix almost dragged him out by his ear.”

“She does understand but I don’t want her to _feel_ like I’m giving up on her sending her to Mandalore.”

“Mandalore is the hot bed of change and major target for this war and with the ongoing campaign against the Hutt empire, it isn’t exactly like you are sidelining her, you’re just bringing her directly into battle.”

“You don’t think Mandalore is safe?” he asked, his heart picking up speed.

“No, no, I just mean that she isn’t going to feel out of the loop.”

He nodded, but it was hard not to hold on the worry

Padme sat up in his lap as the sun began to rise; she was so beautiful in the morning light that he couldn’t help but be distracted from his worries.

He bent to kiss her.

Padme was better than meditation any day.

When they parted, she looked up at him with such emotion, he could feel her trembling within the Force.

“Padme?”

“Something wonderful has happened.”

He frowned about to ask when she continued.

“Ani, I’m pregnant.”

At first, he didn’t comprehend what she was saying.

Then he understood.

Hope.

Briefly a flash of worry and then…

He was standing twirling her in his arms.

“What are we-”

He cut her off with a kiss, when they parted he said, “We aren’t going to worry. This is the happiest day of my life.”

Padme’s smile nearly broke his heart, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“I-” she cut herself off.

Setting her down on her feet, he cupped her face in his hands, “Ask, whatever you want, it’s yours.”

Because right at that moment, if she asked him to leave the Order, he would have.

But she didn’t ask that, instead, she said, “I want to tell Ahsoka.”

He kissed her forehead, “Yes.”

* * *

Ahsoka was pissed.

She was a Jedi Padawan.

She was going to be a Jedi Knight.

Her Master was Anakin Kriffing Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear, and her Grandmaster was Obi-Wan Karking Kenobi.

She was the most powerful Padawan of her generation.

Yet she couldn’t manage to stand on her own two feet despite there no longer being anything wrong with her legs.

Ahsoka glared at the two handrails.

“It’s okay, Ahsoka,” Barriss said softly.

Ahsoka shook her head, “No, it isn’t.” She squeezed the handrails so tightly her knuckles ached. She understood why Kix had told her the wheelchair would be easier. There was nothing wrong with her upper body, she had lost everything she had ever learned and worked for with her hands and arms.

It was her legs that were useless.

She could hold herself up all day, yet she couldn’t manage to find her balance on her own feet, couldn’t take a step without falling.

“I think we should take a break-” Barriss started to say.

“No,” Ahsoka snapped, and instantly regretted her temper at the hurt in her friend’s gaze. “Barriss, I’m sor-”

Barriss was shaking her head as a knock came at the door, she hit the button to open the doors, bowing to Anakin and Padme before slipping out without another word.

Ahsoka couldn’t even chase after her.

“Is she okay?” Padme asked.

The answer was no, Barriss wasn’t okay, but despite spending the last two months together, Ahsoka couldn’t figure out why _._ Something had changed in her friend.

She didn’t know what, but something had.

When she didn’t answer, Anakin asked, “You just going to hang there all day, Snips?”

She glared at him, “I’m going to walk today if it kills me.”

“Ah,” her Master said with both mirth, sorrow, and anger in his eyes, he really was the most emotional Jedi she knew, although Plo said his own Master was infamous for his temper and raging moods, “well, I’ll just stand here and you can come to me then.”

She glowered at him and Padme who joined the bastard.

Crossing the space that was less than three yards of railing on either side of her was nothing to cross. She could just move on her hands across the space in no time at all.

But that was the point, the point was getting the noodles that had replaced her legs to _walk_ the space.

She looked at the space, twitched her feet, and felt as if there was an abyss before her. So to distract herself, she asked, “Why are you two so sparkly?”

“What?” Padme asked.

“Your presence in the Force, you’re both glowing.”

They smiled at each.

Kriffing lovebirds.

Ahsoka wasn’t sure how she had missed it before, but at this point, if they told her that they were married, she wouldn’t be surprised.

She had asked Kix about it, and found that the 501st had a betting pool going.

She had put her food-flavour rations on Anakin having married, or at least committed his relationship with Padme while still having been Obi-Wan’s Padawan.

There wasn’t anyone betting against the conclusion that Obi-Wan knew about this affair.

“Well, Snips, we wanted to tell you something,” Anakin began, fidgeting.

“Something we should have told you sooner,” Padme added.

Ahsoka looked at Anakin expectantly, letting him sweat.

“Padme and I are married.”

Ahsoka gasped dramatically, “No? Really!? Are you telling me you broke a Council edict? I’m scandalized.” She looked at Padme, “Some role model you turned out to be.”

Padme covered her lips to suppress a smile.

Anakin glowered, “Ahsoka, we aren’t joking.”

She rolled hers, “Did you just get married? Is that why you’re sparkling?”

Anakin crossed surprised, “You could at least act surprised or happy for us?”

She raised her brows at him, “I love you both, but I might have been surprised two years ago. Now? Come on, Master Obi-Wan brought his kid into the Order, got himself exiled by the Chancellor, took the 212th Battalion with him into exile, and then got married. And that was _Master Kenobi_ , any rule he can break, you’ve probably broken too.”

Anakin blinked at her as if he had just had his lightning stolen.

Padme laughed and put a hand to her belly, “We are also having a baby.”

This time Ahsoka did smile but before she could say anything Kix walked into the room, “Have you been to the doctors yet, Lady Amidala?”

Anakin stiffened, “Kix, this is-”

“Confidential, I understand, but I assure you, I can check on the health of your baby, General, without sharing it with anyone.”

Anakin gaped at him, “You aren’t surprised either?”

Kix smiled, but looked at Padme, “Senator?”

Padme bowed her head to the man offering her hand to him as he approached, “No, but I would be honoured if you looked me over, Healer Kix.”

He took her hand, gently pulled her to her feet, “I’m just an army medic, but I worked with the incubations long enough to help with prenatal diagnosis, though you should still go to a gynaecologist when you are further along.”

Padme nodded, “As the doctor orders.”

“Right this way, Senator,” Kix directed before pausing to look at Ahsoka, “Either put some weight on your poor neglected legs, Tano, or take a seat.”

Ahsoka stuck her tongue out at him, then she asked, “How come Padme gets bedside manners?”

“Because unlike you and General Skywalker, Senator Amidala actually respects my diagnosis.”

Padme nodded, “My intelligence can be quite burdensome at times.”

Kix patted her hand, “Your husband doesn’t lack intelligence, just common sense.”

Padme nodded solemnly, “Here’s hoping the baby takes after me.”

“Padme!” Anakin exclaimed as Ahsoka broke into giggles.

Padme blew him a kiss as Kix led her to a curtained off section of the room.

They could still hear each other and at least until they were all set up, Anakin stayed where he was instead of following after his wife.

“Alright, Snippy, let’s see it,” Anakin said, as if this was a normal spar, as if they were simply practising her Form.

And perhaps it was the normalcy, or maybe it was time, or maybe she was just sick of feeling sorry for herself.

Closing her eyes, she lifted a foot, feeling as if she were moving through goo, her legs stinging from the newly healed muscles being healed.

But Kix had cleared her. She could be as hard as she wanted, push as hard as she needed to, it wasn’t her legs that needed to get better, it was her head.

She set the foot down and gave her weight to it, not letting herself listen to the muscles that couldn’t remember what they didn’t know but what she knew was possible.

Her legs could hold her weight.

She could stand.

She could take another step.

Anakin didn’t cheer her on, there was no intake of breath or intense emotion in the Force as she made her painstaking way across the floor.

There was only her will, her feet moving sluggishly beneath her as she kept hold of the railings, and the sound of Kix talking to Padme about the baby.

By the time Kix said it was a girl, Ahsoka had reached the end of railing.

When she reached the end of the railings, she didn’t expect her Master to be there when she opened her eyes, but he was.

And he was looking at her with such pride and relief that she felt tears prick her own eyes.

“I am so proud of you, Ahsoka,” he said quietly.

She shouldn’t feel all mushy, after all, she had been walking all her life, but the last few months had been humbling. She knew she still had work to do, knew there was still much she would have to relearn, but there was no more doubt that she was capable of recovering now.

Ahsoka tried taking another step forward, and promptly tripped without the railing to hold onto.

Anakin caught her and pulled her into a hug, “We’re going to be okay, Snips.”

She hugged him and let herself do something she hadn’t allowed herself since waking up.

She let herself cry.

Somewhere among the tears, she managed to say, “Congratulations, Anakin. You’re going to be a great dad.”

* * *

Obi-Wan felt much more whole as Anakin, Ahsoka, Padme, Rex, Fives, Echo, and several others from the 501st disembarked than he had since last seeing them.

Yes, there were still nights where he woke up with nightmares, but seeing as he now only ever slept with his wife, differentiating between reality and nightmare was rather simple.

Reality was Satine wrapped in his arms, nightmares were things he was actively rewriting in the current timeline. This knowledge, along with actively rebuilding Mandalore into a society that could withstand just about anything, was both challenging and fulfilling.

Of course, he had learned how to be bored on Tatooine, and then Luke had shown him that no matter how ‘boring’ a planet could be, there were always dangers to be found.

The Mandalore system was many things, but no one had ever accused it of being boring. 

Even as they waited for their guests, Satine was saying, “The protesters must be allowed to continue but I don’t know how to ensure their safety.”

“Maybe you could open a discussion board at the Academy? It would be a better platform than in the street,” Luke suggested.

Satine sighed, “But they want to be heard.”

“Maybe broadcast it then,” Luke said, “But I don’t think you or Obi-Wan should be a part of the panel, the protesters want their fellow Mandalorians to support them more than they seem to want to argue with you.”

Anakin was close enough to hear that and said, “Are the Duke and Duchess training you to be a Jedi or a politician?”

Luke grinned at them, “Obi-Wan is both, why can’t I be?”

Padme laughed, stepping forward to greet him, “Ah, Obi-Wan you raised him right.”

Obi-Wan bowed his head to her before kissing her hand, “Thank you, my Lady.” Her approval meant far more to him than she would ever understand.

Obi-Wan smiled next at Rex, “Welcome High General Rex, it is an honour to have a Council Member among us.” 

Rex nodded a bit subconsciously, “Thank you, Sir.”

Appo grinned, “Talk about making history, eh, Captain?”

Rex spared him a small real smile.

By the time greetings got to Ahsoka, he could see the young Torgruta poised in her wheelchair, ready to be defensive, likely for if someone asked her how she was doing.

Obi-Wan had come to despise that question at moments throughout his own life.

But Luke beat everyone to the punch, “Ahsoka, do you want to see the Academy? It’s not far from here.”

Her shoulders slumped in relief and her eyes brightened at Luke’s tact of not remarking on the wheelchair or her recovery. “Sure, I would love to, Appo has been messaging me about it.”

Appo winked at her, “Enjoy the tour, Commander Tano, you will be spending most of your time there.”

Luke smiled, “Between Ahsoka and I, you won’t be able to wipe the floor with us.”

Obi-Wan grinned at him, “We will see.” Then pulled the twin lightsabers from his belt and came forward to kneel by Ahsoka’s side. “I made these, but from the first, they were meant for you.”

She blinked at him, before reaching out for the hilts, “You made me lightsabers when you went to Ilum?”

“It was how the Force instructed me to build them, the grips aren’t meant for me.”

Her hands, however, settled over them as if she were sliding on a favourite pair of gloves. “Thank you, Master Kenobi, mine didn’t survive the attack on the Senate building.”

“Nor my tinkering,” Anakin admitted a bit sheepishly.

Igniting the blades, Ahsoka gasped, “Why are they white?”

“I found them on Ilum, but they had already belonged to another. I will tell you the story when we have a moment.”

She blinked at them, “They are healed, aren’t they? I can feel… they’ve come a long way.” She extinguished them, folding her hands on her lap.

Obi-Wan touched her knee, “So have you, Padawan, and you still have many adventures ahead of you.”

She smiled at him, “I’ve missed you, Master.”

He smiled back, “I’ve missed you too, little one.” He stood and Anakin tossed him his saber, “Thanks, Padawan mine.”

Anakin bowed his head, “Anybody ever tell you you’re a strange man, Master?”

Obi-Wan chuckled, “Aside from you? Many.”

Luke came up behind Ahsoka’s wheelchair, and instead of merely wheeling her toward the nearest hovercraft, he started into a run then put a foot on the bottom of the chair to use it as a scooter.

Ahsoka whooped and Anakin called out, “Luke!”

Satine laughed, “Relax, Luke won’t hurt her.”

Obi-Wan smiled broadly, now that Luke was out of earshot, he bragged, “Luke survived Darth Maul.”

Anakin spun on him, “Wait, what? I thought _you_ killed him, that’s what Rex told us.”

“Oh, he did,” Cody said, “But Luke clashed blades with him and didn’t die.”

Padme shook her head, “How long had he even had a lightsaber? That was months back.”

“A week,” Obi-Wan said, bursting with pride.

“How?” Anakin asked, gaping.

“He listens to orders,” Appo, Cody, Greger, Waxer, and Boil said in unison.

Anakin blinked at them, “What?”

Obi-Wan patted him on the back, “Appo commanded Luke to run away, so he ran away.”

“Without back talking,” Cody said.

“Or cracking a joke,” Appo said.

“Or hesitating,” Boil said.

“He just listened,” Waxer finished.

“Huh,” Fives began, “what was that like?”

“Finally having a Padawan who listens?” Appo clarified, “It was like having trust in the hierarchy.”

Rex snorted, “Well, we know he isn’t a Skywalker at any rate.”

Appo and Cody exchanged a smirk.

Anakin put a hand to my chest, “Ouch, Rex. I thought we were friends.”

Obi-Wan smiled at him, “You’ve just conditioned us all to expect the unexpected.”

“What, so much so that someone following orders is a surprise?” Anakin asked.

Everyone aside from Satine and Padme said devinatively, “Yes.”

“Tano isn’t much better,” Fives said, “she takes after you.”

Anakin crossed his arms looking at his new captain, “That doesn’t sound complimentary.”

Obi-Wan laughed, “Anakin, it’s why we love you, but on the topic of congratulations,” he turned to Padme, “Congratulations.”

Padme blushed, “You Jedi with your magic, I’m not showing yet.”

“No,” Satine said, mischief on her beautiful face, “but you have that glow about you. Tell us, is the father your crush from your school years.” Coming forward to take Padme’s hand, “That handsome artist? What was his name? Palo?”

Padme froze, her smile stilling as she flicked her gaze to Anakin.

Obi-Wan knew that Satine knew because she admitted that Padme had confided in her, but Anakin didn’t know that Satine knew.

Just as he hadn’t picked up on Obi-Wan knowing.

Obi-Wan was going to make this hurt, he thought with glee.

“No,” Padme recovered, “no, not Palo.”

“Oh, come on,” Satine said, “you described him in such detail to me. Dark curly hair, dreamy eyes. Your first love. It would be so romantic if you two found each other again.”

Anakin had frozen rooted to the spot, and given the smirks on the 501st’s faces, Obi-Wan knew that they were in on this too. 

Only Anakin was being too stubborn to realize his biggest secret was anything but.

Obi-Wan glided to Padme’s other side so they ushered her forward trapped between himself and Satine with Anakin left to hover behind them awkwardly. 

“My credits are on Clovis,” Obi-Wan said with a smile, “that handsome Senator who always had a fancy on our Nubian Queen.”

He felt Anakin’s burst of jealous rage in the Force. Padme glanced back at him worriedly before catching Satine’s gaze and giving her friend wide eyes in silent plee.

But Satine just smiled with a wicked twinkle in her eye, “Clovis? Oh, you mean, Rush, oh he is a handsome fellow. Isn’t he a baron?”

Which is when Padme caught on to the game, and may it never be said that Senator Padme Amidala didn’t know how to act.

“Clovis?” she stuttered, “Why would you- I mean I haven-”

Obi-Wan hugged her, “Nothing to be ashamed of, my dear, _Rush_ makes for a very noble figure indeed.”

“You two will make such pretty babies together,” Satine gushed.

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin who was stomping beside them, looking as if Dooku had just kissed his cheek. It was a true effort not to laugh.

Padme shook her head, “Oh, don’t say it like that. The father of the baby, well, he’s-”

“Does he not want to marry you?” Satine demanded, the picture of indignation.

Obi-Wan let his own expression fall into serious line, “I’m no longer a member of the Order, if you need to give this pretty boy a little talk-”

Padme shook her head, putting on an expression of desperation, “Oh, Master Kenobi, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“He’s a Duke now,” Cody said, “And just say the word and any of the 212th-”

“Or the 501st,” Appo cut in.

“Would gladly help you, Senator Amidala,” Cody finished, also glancing at Anakin.

Anakin, who was lost in his own frustration, had failed to sense the rising amusement around him as they walked through the palace halls, the sunlight making rainbow colours dance on the marble floors.

Padme touched her heart, “Thank you all, but I should be the brave one to keep Clovis accountable for his actions.”

Anakin shot her a pained and betrayed look.

Padme, in turn, gave him innocent eyes.

Obi-Wan hugged Padme to him, “If you ever need somewhere safe for you or your baby to stay, Satine and I would be happy to help.”

Satine nodded, “And I will be having words with Clovis if you don’t have them with him yourself sometime soon.”

Anakin looked as if he was having his heart stabbed.

Obi-Wan should have felt bad, he really should have, but the boy was doing this to himself and his ‘secret’ wife was endorsing it.

However, Obi-Wan did spare him a bit for his own curiosity, “Have you seen a medic or healer yet? How is the baby, or is it babies?”

Padme laughed, “Just the one, I’m not sure I could handle twins on my own. I saw her heartbeat and her hands just the other day, my baby girl.”

_Interesting_ , Obi-Wan thought, he was pretty sure that it was a bit early for Luke and Leia to have been conceived, which meant this baby girl might either be Leia or just another baby drawn to this life.

“We’re so happy for you,” Obi-Wan said, hugging both the women to him. Padme’s death had hurt him almost as much as losing Satine had. He and Padme had never been in love, but they had been dear friends and love existed between them.

Obi-Wan had only understood how deeply he cared for her when she was fading. They hugged him back, Padme catching on that his well wishes were sincerely meant.

Honestly, Padme being sensible to the emotional needs of others was very necessary if she had been wedded to Anakin, the poster child for emotional personalities.

When he pulled back, he felt the levity pass him, cupping her face, he said, “Padme, you are going to be a wonderful mother. May the Force always be with you and your family.”

Padme smiled up at him with honeyed eyes, “And with you, considering you and Satine are a part of my family.”

Obi-Wan kissed her forehead, “Our little family is going to rain chaos on the galaxy.”

“Especially as our little family consists of tens of thousands of Mandalorians,” Satine said with a smile and a wink at Cody, “I think that statement is guaranteed.”

“Speaking of which,” Anakin cut in, seeming desperate to change the subject, “I’m a bit offended, Obi-Wan, you didn’t invite any of us to the wedding.”

“Why?” Obi-Wan asked directly, “You didn’t invite me to yours.”

Anakin’s eyes went wide, and he breathed, “You knew?”

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, “That you were in love with her? About the same time I saw you lay eyes on her again, which was also when you started questioning my every choice.”

“Wait,” Cody interceded, “didn’t he always do that?”

“No,” Obi-Wan said, remembering that little sullen ‘why?’ when he said they would guard Padme and not seek out her assailants without fondness, “It wasn’t typical, at least not in front of Senators or other Masters.”

Anakin looked a little ashamed then, now that he had his own Padawan who talked back to him frequently, he understood that on some level, what he had done was a betrayal.

No, Obi-Wan didn’t mind Anakin questioning him or even challenging him. But it had been the first true breaking of trust between. Not a childish rebellion, not a sneaking out at night, or getting into trouble, no, it had been a moment where his Padawan had sided with a Senator over his Master in such a way that was public and undermined their control over the situation.

It wasn’t that big of a deal in and of itself, but what had then followed afterwards?

The lies, the secrets, the… breaking of trust and faith in one another.

Obi-Wan had loved Anakin too much at the time to see what was happening.

“You never said anything,” Anakin said quietly.

“I did,” Obi-Wan said, “You know I did.”

“You told me it would be a betrayal to the Order.”

“Being her lover would not have been a betrayal, letting your emotions blind you to the others you -as a Jedi Padawan or Jedi Knight- were tasked to serve and protect, would have been.”

“I never-”

“Didn’t you?” Obi-Wan snapped, losing his own temper by a fraction as he stepped forward to meet the other man’s stance. “Luke doesn’t have a tenth of your training, he doesn’t even know me as well as you should have, yet Luke listened to me, and it saved his life.”

“I don’t see what your son has to do with this.”

“On Geonosis, Padme fell from that air-craft-”

“Wouldn’t you have followed after Satine?”

“And leave you to go after a Sith Lord by yourself?” Obi-Wan asked, “No, I wouldn’t have, especially as both Satine and Padme are quite capable of taking care of themselves.”

“But I didn’t go after her, I stayed with you.”

“But you didn’t listen to me,” Obi-Wan pressed, wanting to shake him. He knew that the timeline was changed, he knew that Anakin would never trust Palpatine again, just as Obi-Wan also knew that Anakin would refuse to acknowledge the dangers of being in love when being such a powerful Force user.

Anakin shook his head, “What do you want me to say? I’m sorry? That I was a dumb kid?” He shook his hand, “I lost my arm-”

“Yes, you lost your arm and you nearly got me killed and Dooku got away, in part, because you lost control of your emotions.”

“Emotions are not evil!” Anakin yelled.

“No,” Obi-Wan said without backing down, “They aren’t evil, but you must learn to master yourself, Anakin. I don’t want you to give up Padme or your child, nor do I want you to leave the Order if you don’t want to, but as your Master, as your brother, as someone who helped raise you and loves you, I need you to listen to me. I need you to acknowledge the challenges balancing attachments in your life will create.”

“What do you know? You’re perfect! Everything always comes easy to _perfect_ Kenobi!”

Obi-Wan very nearly struck him then, after everything Anakin had put him through, after the life he lived, after the hell he endured living through and witnessing Order 66. When next he spoke, his voice was soft, “I will always love you, Anakin, but I don’t think you will ever know me or see me. And that is the price you paid when you choose the fear of consequences for your actions over trusting me.”

Anakin’s hands were fisted, “You wouldn’t have listened, you never heard me.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “I have made so many mistakes in my life and paid dearly for them. I was too young to be the person you needed me to be, to hear what was unspoken, to read between the lines, to catch on to the ripples within the Living Force as Qui-Gon might have. But I will not keep apologizing to you for me not being my Master. It was never my goal to become Qui-Gon Jinn nor was I ever meant to be.”

“But you always tried,” Anakin retorted, “You always quoted him, and when Qui-Gon’s advice was too vague, you just quoted the Code. You were always clear on no attachments, that the Jedi do not love.”

Obi-Wan glared at him, “Are those my words? Your words? Or are they poison Palpatine poured into your soul, Anakin?”

Anakin froze, his face draining of colour.

He didn’t stop, “Because I have never said that the Jedi do not love. I taught you to love all beings, I taught you to be compassionate, and to place others before yourself.”

He shook his head, “You said to hold-”

Obi-Wan interrupted, “I told you to be mindful of your emotions and to let them pass, so that you can love a thing but not let your emotions uproot you when your peace of mind was needed. That is the life of a Jedi, duty to not yourself, defence of not yourself, but others.” 

“Don’t put this on me, you fell in love too!”

“I did! But I didn’t damn the galaxy with it!” Obi-Wan roared back, the images of the smoking Temple flashing through his mind. “The only mistake in love I ever made was loving you so much that I believed you incapable of falling! I trusted you!”

* * *

Anakin felt his heart break at the devastation he saw on Obi-Wan’s face.

_I trusted you!_

Past tense.

Past. Tense.

Obi-Wan didn’t trust him anymore. Because of Padme? Because he lied to him?

Or because he thought Anakin still trusted Palpatine?

Satine touched Obi-Wan’s arm, and he turned to her, and it was like all that sorrow and devastation was pressed back.

When Obi-Wan looked back at Anakin, his face was emotionless, his voice pleasant and empty.

The perfect Jedi.

The perfect Jedi who seemed to be shattering on the inside.

“I am happy for you and Padme, I support your marriage. I cannot wait to meet your new baby, Anakin. But the people you love will be used against you, just as the people I love have been used against me.”

“I have the power to keep them safe,” Anakin said, unsure of what was happening, “If anyone dares-”

“They will dare. Force help us, Palpatine is the one who threw you two back together on a gamble that you might still have feelings for each other. So be careful when you retaliate, that when you destroy your enemies, you don’t destroy that which you love along with yourself.”

“I won’t-”

Obi-Wan backed up from him, Satine stepping with him, their Mandalorian army shining in the filtered sunlight, “Sometimes, I don’t know why I keep trying. Even now, you don’t listen.”

Anakin felt heat go up his cheeks, “Which is it, _Master,_ attachments or no attachments, emotion or no emotion? What do you want from me?”

“Balance,” Obi-Wan said, his voice light, “I want you to find balance within yourself.”

“Oh, yes, bring balance to the Force, but even you don’t know what being the Chosen One means, not really,” he said bitterly.

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head, “Believe what you like. I wanted to believe my Master, that prophecies were real, that there was a reason for suffering, but maybe there isn’t, or maybe I’ll just never live long enough to see it resolved. Luke has just as much potential as you do, so perhaps the words of a dying man truly meant nothing. I do not know.”

Anakin crossed his arms, “Well, that’s refreshingly honest.”

Obi-Wan glared at him, “But what I do know is that Force is able to use your emotions to make you a slave to its power. I know that is the fate the Sith wished for you.”

Anakin gritted his teeth, “Chancellor Palpatine, _Darth Sidious_ , did not break me.”

“No,” Obi-Wan agreed, “he kept you broken. He kept you dependent, hungry for praise, for belonging, for being more powerful, for deserving recognition from others rather than yourself. He was always there in your thoughts, driving the wedges in deeper between us, between you and the Jedi Order.”

Anakin shook his head, even as memories of hours spent in Palpatine’s company gave weight to what Obi-Wan was describing. It hadn’t seemed weird as a child, because the only people who had ever been kind to him had praised him, unlike Obi-Wan who was constantly pushing and challenging. Nor had it seemed strange as an adult because Palpatine was both familiar and trusted.

Obi-Wan’s gaze flicked to Padme before meeting his gaze again, “Do not misunderstand me, Anakin, I am proud of you. You are a good man and an exceptional Jedi Knight, but a part of you will always be that little boy we met on Tatooine.”

Anakin felt his cheeks redden, both because Obi-Wan was quoting Padme and because Obi-Wan had intended that comment to hurt.

Because no matter what he did, Anakin had never been able to outrun or defeat his past.

It occurred to him that his Master had never tried to hurt him before now, not with words, not on purpose.

Obi-Wan bowed low to him and then to Padme, “My apologies, I did not intend for this conversation to happen. I will retire for the night to avoid saying anything else regrettable.”

“Obi-Wan,” Satine said, reaching out but he was already striding down the hall.

Anakin felt something in the Force around Obi-Wan as if there really was more going on here than met the eye.

Satine turned to them, “I’m sorry, but I can’t leave him alone like this, Appo and Gregor can give you a tour and-”

“Is he okay?” Padme asked.

Satine hesitated, then said, “Anakin isn’t the only one who has visions and nightmares,” before exchanging signals with the clones that were more complex than the signs that Anakin knew. “We will see you all at breakfast.”

The blonde haired Duchess turned jogging down the hall Obi-Wan had departed from, Cody and Waxer following her.

There was a decidedly awkward silence once they were out of sight.

Anakin wasn’t really sure what had just happened, the last in depth conversation he had with Obi-Wan hadn’t ended so poorly. But maybe that’s because he had been holding back.

_I trusted you!_

What had Obi-Wan seen to cast such sorrow over him?

Appo broke the silence, “Just out of curiosity, did you two get married before or after you were Knighted?”

“Before,” Anakin said, feeling a bit chastised, because yes, Obi-Wan had kept the fact that he had had a son hidden from him.

A son whose mother had died, a boy that was nearly a stranger to him until this year.

But that wasn’t quite the same as eloping and lying to his best friend for years afterward, especially whenever Obi-Wan attempted to prod at the subject.

No, Anakin supposed that wasn’t the same at all.

A few of the clones cursed in Mandalorian while others smirked.

Fives whistled, “Tano was right, I knew she would be.”

Anakin looked at them all, “What are you talking about? What was my Padawan right about?”

“The 501st and the 212th have had a betting pool going on for months on when exactly you got married,” Fives explained.

“Ahsoka only got in on the pool a week or so after she woke up,” Rex said.

Anakin stared at him, “You’re in on this too? You were betting on when, not if I got married?”

Padme started laughing.

He turned on her, “This isn’t funny.”

She waved her hand at him, “We’ve been trying to keep this secret for years, mainly from the Council and Obi-Wan. But Obi-Wan knows, so does Rex, both are or were on the Council, and now tens of thousands other men know too.” She continued to laugh as his men joked with his wife.

Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, reactions, ball pythons, or feedback, pretty please?


	14. Lights

Nauze: Thank you! Check out his blog :D nauzenerd (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Chapter 14 - Lights

"So, how's life on Mandalore?" she asked as Luke sat on a stone railing, giving her a view of the horizon while they faced each other.

For an academy that had been built in record time, it was a beautiful structure that was grander in some ways than Satine’s palace.

“A billion times better than Tatooine,” Luke answered. “I always wanted to join the military, and between the 212th, the Mandalorian warriors, and Obi-Wan, I’m probably getting one of the best educations in the galaxy.”

Ahsoka shook her head, Luke was this bundle of positivity and energy. She had never met anyone quite like him.

“What about you? Coruscant seems... troubled.”

She snorted, colossal understatements must have been a Kenobi thing. “Pretty bad. I mean, publicly it's bad; the Coruscantians are enraged that the war landed on their doorstep, and nearly every system in the Republic is either panicking or calling for blood.” 

She purposely didn’t answer how she herself was doing.

“Privately?”

“It’s worse. The new System of Zuko hasn’t reached the news yet but with Palpatine trying to seize control, the Jedi Order has completely taken over the military. And the Temple is overrun with younglings. I had five little ones sneak into my room in attempts to hide from Master Ali-Alann. It seems that raising Mandalorian clones with Force sensitive younglings is a recipe for pure chaos.”

Luke laughed, it was a good sound, “I can imagine. You know, I’ve noticed the clones can be quite serious, especially the officers, but when they don’t think anyone’s watching they act like fifteen and sixteen year olds.”

Ahsoka hummed, “It’s easy to forget that they are thirteen year olds trapped in adult bodies.”

“I mean there are worse things, at thirteen I would have loved to have been one of the adults. I think they are more bitter about missing out on childhoods than having puberty halved.”

She laughed too, “I was fourteen when I became Anakin’s Padawan and began fighting in this war. I too would have been glad not to look like a kid.”

He smiled at her, “What’s it like being his Padawan?”

“Pretty fun, he’s one of the best Generals, and really, it was kind of like having two Masters. Seeing as Anakin and I usually end up working with Obi-Wan.”

Luke nodded but pressed, “But what’s it really like? Did you think this was how your Padawanship would go? Is Anakin nice? I mean, when he’s not in battle and having Obi-Wan throwing curve balls at him.”

“Nice?” she repeated, “He certainly can be, but I don’t think that’s the first adjective I would use for my Master. He’s a good person, just very rough around the edges. And no, this isn’t how I thought my Padawanship would go, but then, I didn’t predict a galactic war either.”

“What’s his training like?” he asked, sounding truly interested.

“Lots of saber duelling and whenever there isn’t time for that, he has me fixing ships.”

“Really?”

“He was a mechanic before he joined the Order, both Obi-Wan and I have picked up a thing or two over the years, beyond the basics they teach everyone at the temple, but personally, I think that’s because Anakin has a penchant for adopting junker ships and never having quite enough time to repair them fully.”

“Are his landings really that bad?” Luke asked, “Appo says he crushes all of the time.”

She winked at him, “Not  _ all _ of the time. Being in Anakin’s company is always an adventure.”

Luke laughed again, “So tell me a story, Senior Padawan, I must hear some of these adventures. I definitely feel like I missed out.”

She grinned, and for the first time since waking up from her injuries, she forgot about her legs, about trying to get better, about the upcoming battles that she wouldn’t be a part of, that even now -she was still stuck in that stupid wheelchair.

She was able to set all of it aside for the pleasure of Luke’s company. A boy who seemed to hang on her every word, never taking his eyes off of her, not even to spare a glance at the stunning sunset behind him.

* * *

When Luke and Ahsoka arrived back at the palace, they found no one in the dining hall. The servers informed that the dinner had been called off and that everyone’s meals were being brought to their rooms.

“Why?” Ahsoka asked.

The server shook his head, “I’m sorry, Jedi Padawan, I do not know.”

Luke had a bad feeling about this. “Ahsoka, is it alright if I bring you back to the guest room? I need to go check in with my dad.”

She looked as if she would argue, and then her stomach growled audibly. She seemed to blush and said quickly, “Alright, but I can get there by myself. I’ve stayed in this palace before.”

He nodded, relieved, but he took the time to bow to her, “It was good to spend time with you again.”

She smiled at him, “You’ll get sick off me eventually.”

He grinned, “Impossible. See you tomorrow morning.” Then darted off down the halls; none of the reasons he could think of for dinner to be cancelled were good. He hadn’t gotten an alert on his com, so he didn’t think there had been an attack, but...

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked as moments after hitting the entrance code to Satine and Obi-Wan’s suit.

Cody stepped forward, already shaking his head, “Nothing, Luke.”

“You’re lying,” he accused.

Cody gave him a hard look, but when Luke didn’t fold, he sighed, “Obi-Wan and Anakin got into it.”

Luke felt his lips thin, and even from outside the innermost room, Luke could feel Obi-Wan’s pain in the Force.

He took in a steadying breath, then exhaled.

Maybe it was time he ‘got into it’ with his birth father too. He hardly managed a goodbye to Cody before returning to the hall.

He found their guest room, and unsurprisingly, Appo was there waiting for him along with Fives and Echo.

“You don’t want to do this, Luke,” Appo warned the moment he rounded the corner. “The situation is complicated-”

“Complicated my butt, Obi-Wan isn’t the only one he’s hurting,” Luke said as he knocked firmly.

Padme opened the door and Luke was about to say something stoic, but he noticed an extra light in the Force. So what he asked aloud was, “Are you pregnant?”

She smiled, “I am. We’re having a girl.”

“Who is it?” Anakin called from further in the room.

At the sound of his voice, Luke remembered his purpose, “Congratulations, but I need to speak with Anakin.”

The man himself stepped into view, “What do you want?”

“What did you say to Obi-Wan?” Luke asked, moving around Padme into the room uninvited.

“That isn’t any of your business, kid.”

“I’m hardly two years younger than you, you bantha-behind, what did you say to Obi-Wan?”

Anakin looked angry, “That’s between myself and your father.”

Luke shook his head, “You really don’t get it, do you? You don’t understand that he loves you so much that he keeps giving you the keys to destroy him despite what you’ve put him through.”

“What  _ I’ve _ put him through?” Anakin demanded, “I’ll be the first to admit I was not an easy Padawan but I am not-”

Luke interrupted him, “I’m not talking about what you did as a Padawan.”

“What else has he told you?”

“Not much,” Luke said, “seeing as he can hardly get through a conversation of these times without blaming the fall of the Republic on himself. But whatever his mistakes were, it wasn’t his actions but  _ yours  _ that sealed our fates.”

Anakin towered over him, his presence in the Force a seething mass of light cut through with deep shadows. His voice was low when he spoke, “You don’t know me.”

Luke laughed, “You’re right, I don’t know you.” He waved a hand toward his mother, “I don’t know her either. Which is also _ your _ fault. You’re the one who orphaned us. Obi-Wan hasn’t even told me the whole truth of it, and I don’t plan on asking him. Because I don’t want to know the gory details and I don’t want Obi-Wan to relive it either.”

Anakin glared at him, “Why would we know each other? Do you think I know everyone on Tatooine, moisture farmer? And I didn’t orphan you. Obi-Wan isn’t dead, he’s the one who left you.”

Luke knew this wasn’t the way he wanted to have this conversation, but even if Obi-Wan stood up for himself, Luke knew Obi-Wan would beat himself up for it later.

Like he was doing now.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had been through enough on account of Skywalkers.

Luke poked the bigger man in the chest, “It was always my dream to meet my father. My Uncle Owen told me he was a spicer, and I still would have given almost anything just to meet him, just for a moment to know he was more than fiction.”

Anakin let out an exasperated breath, “Good for you, you struck kyber, your dad is great, and not a spicer.”

Luke stepped back fighting back his own emotions, why did his family have to be so messed up? Time travelling had turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to him, but that the other future had even been a possibility…

Luke gestured back to Padme, “I hope your daughter doesn’t end up like I did.”

He didn’t know much about Princess Leia Organa’s life, but she had ended up being a leader of war against their own father.

Anakin threw his hands up, “My daughter will never set foot on Tatooine, that I can promise you.”

Luke huffed, “The only reason I was there was because of you. I should have been raised on Coruscant at the Jedi Temple or on Naboo with my bloodkin. But that wasn’t possible. Because you didn’t just ruin our lives, you ruined the entire galaxy!”

Padme was there now, “Alright, I’ve had enough today. Luke, Anakin didn’t ruin the galaxy. It’s fine.”

Luke turned on her, “Did you support Palpatine too?”

Anakin got in his face, “You leave my wife out of this. Now that we know what Palp-”

“No!” Luke yelled, “The last time you found out, you joined him! Oh, poor Anakin, the slave boy from Tatooine, poor  _ Darth Vader _ who turned on everyone who ever loved him. You call yourself a freeman? You enslaved the galaxy under a Sith Empire!”

Anakin blinked at him, “I’m not-”

“I wish you had been a spicer. When Ben first told me about you, I was amazed, in pure awe. My Father: the Jedi Knight, a war hero who fought in the Clone Wars. Legends from another age where democracy and freedom meant something more than a death sentence. He also told me you were dead. That you had died fighting in the Clone Wars.”

Anakin looked pissed and Padme looked confused, as she said, “Why would Obi-Wan tell you Anakin had died?”

“Because better he was dead than be the Sith Lord who helped genocide the Jedi and teardown the Republic.”

Anakin shook his head, “Obi-Wan would never-  _ your _ father would never turn to the Dark Side.”

“Obi-Wan didn’t!” Luke exclaimed, “He watched his entire people fall, Satine died in his arms, he was forced to hide in the desert as a hermit, and he did so willingly for two decades just to keep  _ me _ safe!”

“Luke, the Jedi aren’t dead,” Padme said, her voice taking on an edge, “Now, I don’t know what your father told you-”

“Nothing!” Luke shouted, his hands shaking, these were his mother and father and they didn’t recognize him, didn’t even really understand that he existed. 

He met Anakin’s gaze, “ _ You _ never told me anything because  _ you _ were never there! Uncle Owen hated the Jedi, because it was the Jedi who were blamed for the Clone Wars. He would always despair my restlessness, telling me I would wind up the same way my father did. I didn’t realize until Ben said he only ever had one apprentice that my uncle was worried I would become a Sith Lord like  _ you.” _

“I’m lost,” Anakin said, “I’m not a Sith Lord. And Obi-Wan-”

“Isn’t my genetic father,  _ you _ are!” Luke cried, “Ben had to hide me from you because you would have given me to the Emperor! Just like you helped kill the Jedi for Palpatine.” He touched his hand to his heart over the chest plate of his armour, “I wanted my whole life to know you! But now I just want you to stop hurting Obi-Wan! You had everything and you destroyed it all because you were either that power hungry or that weak!”

Anakin stared at him, and Padme gaped at him. Her voice was clear as she asked, “You’re our son?”

Luke regretted yelling, regretted being this emotional in front of her like this rather than expressing his gratitude for being able to meet with her at all.

Anakin shook his head, “That’s impossible. You are-”

“A time traveller, so is Ben. The Force brought us back. My birth name is Luke Skywalker. In our time, you became Darth Vader.” Luke backed up, wishing he could redo the last few minutes, take back his outburst. But he had gone this far already, might as well say his peace.

So before he left, he said, “Whatever issues you have with Obi-Wan, you should know that despite everything, he still loves you. You might do him the courtesy of showing him some respect and stop purposely breaking his heart every time you see him.”

Padme caught his hand, “Luke- where was I?”

Luke took her hand and kissed it, “You died giving birth to my twin sister and me. Obi-Wan was with you, our birthday was Empire Day, so I’m not sure if giving birth was the real cause of your death or not. I just know that the Force brought us back before the point of no return.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks, “How is this possible?”

Luke shrugged, “Apparently the Force disagreed with the timeline.”

“You’re really our son?” Anakin asked, his eyes looking him over, “You have Padme’s features.”

Luke let go of his mother’s hand, stepping back from them, “I am, but I’m also Obi-Wan’s son. He isn’t perfect, but he isn’t your enemy. He can’t just leave you alone either because I don’t think he would survive seeing you fall again.”

Anakin shook his head, “I’m not going-”

“But you did. And you took us all down with you. Whatever your history is, whatever Palpatine did to you, you have to find a way to overcome it. I never knew my twin, I would like the chance to meet at least one of my sisters.” He turned his back on them before he said anything else foolish. Who was he to tell these strangers off? 

Anakin caught his hand, “Luke, wait, give me a chance to-”

Luke yanked his hand back, “No, not right now. I need to go calm down.”

“You still sound more like Obi-Wan’s son than mine.”

Luke didn’t understand Anakin, not his actions, not his reactions, nor what he was capable of. He especially didn’t understand why it was so hard for him to see how much people cared about him. 

“I’m Shmi Skywalker’s grandson.”

Anakin looked as if Luke’s words had finally landed a blow.

“Unlike you,” Luke said, “I’m not ashamed of where I come from.”

Anakin nearly spat, “I have never been ashamed of my mother.”

“Then stop acting like you are owed something. No matter how ugly or cruel the world gets, you continue to be kind. That’s what her legacy taught me, that continuing to be kind in the face of evil is real strength, not power.” Luke stared up at his sire, “Darth Vader was a monster who terrorized the galaxy. I don’t think you are that man now, but somehow you’re capable of becoming him. You are capable of losing to the Dark Side. I just hope this time around you remember that a slave can be greater than the richest king.”

Anakin let go of his hand as if he had burned him. “Did Obi-Wan also tell you how my mother died?”

“No, Uncle Owen, your stepbrother, told me. About how the only time you showed up at the farm was because she was dying.”

“She was murdered by Tuskens. And Obi-Wan didn’t let me go to her in time to save her.”

Luke looked at him, just looked at him, “I doubt it was that simple, but even if it was, people die in the desert. She died a free woman with a family who loved her and witnessed her passing. That’s how life works.”

“It wasn’t how it was supposed to happen, I became a Jedi so I could save her.”

__ _ Had he been tempted to become a Sith to save Padme? To save me? _ Luke wondered as he said, “My grandmother wasn’t yours to save, her life was her own. The Lars family has always had the funds to leave Tatooine if they wanted to, they choose to live there.  _ She _ chose to live there.”

“You’re wrong, no one chooses to live on Tatooine.”

Luke shook his head, “It certainly wasn’t my choice, but you don't know how much our family loved her, how much she doted on them. Her husband died of heartbreak not long after you met him. They were hers.”

“And you think that makes up for the horror of the way she died?”

Luke stepped back, talking to Anakin was tiring, he was so defensive, so sure he was right. “We aren’t defined by the way we die,  _ Father _ , we are defined by the way we live.” He went to the door, and paused at the threshold, “Cody said you and Obi-Wan got into a fight. I know he’s going to apologize to you, but you should apologize first.”

“Why? Because I messed up in your future? A future that is never going to happen?”

“No,” Luke said, “because apologizing to him is the right thing to do, the thing Shmi would have expected you to do, Anakin Skywalker.”

Luke left before either of his birth parents could say another word. As introductions went, lecturing his birth father about his dead mother seemed like a splendid start.

Luke sighed, remembering how he hadn’t had time to bury Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen beside his grandmother. He didn’t think everything in the Empire was Anakin’s fault, but Luke had seen his presence in the Force.

Even if they killed Palpatine tonight, Anakin was close enough, unbalanced enough, that he could still turn tomorrow.

Luke remembered his vision quest on Ilum, remembered how the Dark Side of the Force had beckoned to him, how it had shadowed his own destiny.

Anakin Skywalker didn’t seem to realize how close he was to the edge of the abyss.

* * *

Padme was pacing the room, “Time travel? Do we really believe that?”

Anakin ran a hand over his face as he sat heavily on the bed, “I don’t. Anything is supposed to be possible within the Force. The Force is everything.”

“But still…” she trailed off, “Luke does look like us.”

“I won’t believe it until I hear it from Obi-Wan.”

“He knew your mother though. Ani, he sounded like her when he spoke.”

Anakin had heard it too, the echo of his own mother in the boy claiming to be their son, “But he couldn’t have known her. She’s gone.”

“But the Lars family,” Padme said, “Your step siblings, Owen, I remember him. He must have known Shmi and he was old enough to pass on what she shared with that family.”

“What do you mean? Old enough?” Anakin demanded.

“Nothing, just that you were nine the last time you spoke with her, your memories of her were that of the child’s. It’s possible that the Lars-”

“Knew her better?” he said, voice low.

Padme put her hands on her hips, “Stop talking to me like that.”

“Like what? You’re taking his sid-”

“There are no sides, Anakin!” she exclaimed, “We are all on the same side. This is why Obi-Wan is so angry with you, because he loves you, and instead of admitting to him, to  _ me _ , that you need help, you fight us. At every turn you fight us. We aren’t your demons, we are here to help you.”

He glared at her, “What do-”

“Quit being so obtuse,” she snapped.

Anakin had about had it with people yelling at him today. “You are angry with me. Because of what Luke said. Now that you know what I’m capable of-”

“I’ve always known what you are capable of! Obi-Wan might not have been there when your mother died but I was. You told me what you did.”

He felt his heart sink, “And you forgave.”

“I did, because I saw how torn up about it you were. You weren’t angry at Obi-Wan, just like you aren’t really mad at him now, you’re angry with yourself. I married you knowing what you could do if you fell to the Dark Side of the Force, because I love you more than I could ever fear you, because I trust you to be stronger than you were that day.”

He stared at her, “You thought I was weak?”

“I thought you were wrong to have killed the entire village, of course, I did Ani. And so did you, you nearly cried yourself sick afterwards.”

“Those tears were for my mother.”

“Not all of them,” she said, blinking back her own tears, “they were for the innocence you lost that day. You were a young man playing with electricity and learning how much you stood to lose, I wasn’t the only who learned something that day. I know it still haunts you.”

This was all happening too fast, and he couldn’t believe that Luke was really his son, because that would mean…

It would mean everything else he said was true too.

Because if it was… “Obi-Wan said that Palpatine kept me broken. I know the Dark Side is dangerous, but to turn on my own people? Whatever my issues are with the Jedi… I could never. What could Palpatine have done to me? Am I that stupid? That weak? To have let him-”

Padme sat down beside him, “He manipulated me too, Anakin, he was the one who backed me when I first ran for queen. I wasn’t much older than you were when I first met him. He orchestrated the Naboo Crisis and I didn’t even suspect him for a moment. I personally called the vote of no confidence. Dear Stars, all those years I thought he was my friend and he was the one who sent Darth Maul after me, and the bounty hunters, and I trusted him as much as you did.”

Anakin put an arm around her, needing to know that she wasn’t going to leave him, “But you disagree with him often enough.”

“Anakin, I love you, but your grasp of politics is severely limited.”

He tilted his head to rest his cheek on her head, “Obi-wan never seemed keen on me learning politics.”

“I’ve listened to Obi-Wan speak, it's a bit of tongue and cheek really. He’s very good at politics, at  _ negotiating _ , but at the heart of it, his motives are always pure. When he says he hates politics, he means it in the same way I do, he hates corruption.”

He pulled back to look down into her honeyed eyes, “Are you telling me all those times he preached about politics being evil, he was really just complaining in lofty language?”

Her lips twitched, “Essentially, yes.”

Anakin groaned, covering his face with the hand that wasn’t around her waist, “How could I have been so blind? I really can’t see him, can I? Everything I know about him has been twisted by that kriffing psycho Chancellor.”

“You and Obi-Wan are very different people, Ani, but your strengths and weaknesses complement each other well. But yes, I think Palpatine made a very neat job of making it so you could never trust Obi-Wan, your friend, mentor, and brother with your whole heart.”

She hugged him as he responded, “I thought I was free, but I wasn’t, Palpatine made me a slave to my own fears and doubts more surely than any detonating chip, beating, or cruelty could have.”

Her hands rubbed his back, “It’s not too late. You can still make things right with Obi-Wan, you can start fresh.”

He shook his head, “He must hate me.”

“He loves you, Ani, he always has and always will.”

She said it so simply, like it was clear reality for all to see.

Everyone, but him.

“How? Why? Luke said I helped kill the Jedi, that I betrayed, that I- How could Obi-Wan not hate me?”

_ I hate me, _ he thought, because if everything Luke had said was true, then he had only confirmed every doubt he had ever harbored about himself.

Padme’s answer caught him off guard, “Because Obi-Wan will always believe that it was his fault for not protecting you, just like he believes Qui-Gon’s death was his fault.”

Anakin jerked back from her, “That’s not true. How could he possibly thin-” Though Anakin knew  _ exactly  _ how his mentor could think that. But Obi-Wan had to know, at least logically, that it wasn’t true.

“You were nine years old when Qui-Gon died. You didn’t see Obi-Wan’s face at the funeral.”

“Yes, I did, he was emotionless.”

She shook her head, “No, before he went to your side, he had been crying for some time. But he was careful around you. You had just been separated from your mother and then lost the man who had freed you, likely one of the first outsiders beyond your mother that you had ever trusted.  _ On top of,  _ being thrown in a world and culture completely foreign to you. Obi-Wan tried being your rock even as he himself was grieving.”

“It would have been better if he showed me that. His stoicism made me feel alone, made me think that the Jedi didn’t care about each other.”

She cupped his face, “That’s what Palpatine would have you think, but do you want to know what I think?”

“Yes,” he said, simply resting his face in her hands. “I always want to know what you think, Padme.”

She held him as if he was precious, “You would have felt better if Obi-Wan fell apart because then  _ you _ could have taken care of him. Just like you did for me and your mother. You never wanted to need saving, you wanted to be needed.”

Those words struck something deep, something that was more true than he wanted to admit. He likely needed help, had needed help for most of his life, but what was the problem with needing someone to help? 

It was admitting you weren’t in control of your own life. Asking for help was akin to putting yourself at someone else’s mercy.

Obi-Wan had been trying to help him from the beginning, but it was so much easier to fight his Master than to admit, even to himself, that he was out of control.

It’s why he hadn’t asked for help with his visions, it's why when Obi-Wan pressed him for not sleeping well at night, Anakin had downplayed the visions as mere nightmares, unfairly expecting Obi-Wan to understand that his confiding in him at all was sign enough that it was a matter of grievest importance.

He closed his eyes, pulling Padme onto his lap as his mind swam with memories that followed the same pattern.

It was just as Padme had said: Anakin had needed Obi-Wan but instead of accepting help, he had fought Obi-Wan every step of the way. So whenever Obi-Wan did make his own missteps, his own human, fallible choices, they were just that much more magnified in their relationship. And from Obi-Wan, Anakin had painted the whole Order with that same brush. All to the point where his only real confidant was Chancellor Palpatine.

Palpatine, who was a Force forsaken Sith Lord.

“I played right into his hand,” he said miserably.

Padme kissed his jaw, tucking herself in tighter against him, “We haven’t lost, Anakin.” Then pulled back to see his face, “You need to go apologize to your time travelling Master.”

He groaned, “So we are just going to accept that?”

“I mean, Obi-Wan has been acting weird, and I really don’t buy that he’s been sneaking off to Tatooine intermittently over the last two decades without anyone noticing.”

“True,” Anakin said, “And he really has changed. He acts older and a little unhinged. My Obi-Wan would have never provoked Palpatine to get himself kicked out of the Order.”

“His eyes are older,” she agreed.

Anakin sighed, “Time travel. I’m not going to get used to that. We have a son who we know nothing about who is nearly our age.”

She grinned, “On the brightside, Luke is adorable, and Obi-Wan is actually old enough to be the father figure you always needed him to be.”

He huffed at her, “You are taking far too much enjoyment teasing me of late.”

Padme grinned, “It’s either the hormones, or my finally getting to brag to my nearest and dearest, that yes, I did claim you, as mine and mine alone.”

Anakin laughed, "I never wonder why I married you but I often wondered why you married me."

"Because," Padme said, brushing his hair back, "You were a conundrum of being the most earnest and dangerous person I had ever met. Marrying you was like wedding fire, I knew I would never not want you and I knew you would never think me too intense, too ambitious. You loved me for everything most people shun me for. I love you because of how freely you gave me your heart."

"You are my heart, Padme, you give me hope that tomorrow can be better than today," he said before he pulled her in for a real kiss.

* * *

"I never thought I would find a home again," Obi-Wan said, running his thumb over Satine's palm.

They were sitting on a sofa in their personal sitting room.

The tinted, blaster resistant windows overlooked the side of the palace that mountain range could be seen beyond the city limits.

"I never thought I would allow a military academy to be built,” she grumped.

He grinned, “Your father would have been ecstatic.”

“Oh, no doubt,” she touched his cheek, “Do you want to talk about what happened with Anakin?”

He sighed, holding her hand to his face, “I didn’t intend for that.”

“I know. But after what he did… I’m amazed you still...”

He closed his eyes, and let out a breath, and whispered, “Twenty years, Satine, seeing him like this… it’s so abstract.”

“Obi-Wan, my love, look at me.”

He opened his eyes as she held his face, “I’m real, we are real. We are alive. You are here with me.”

It’s what she said to him whenever he woke in their bed from a nightmare. It was so strange to not be alone anymore that there were a few times he thought he was still dreaming.

“I love you, my Duchess,” he said.

She gave him hopeful eyes, “Enough to shave your beard for me?”

He laughed.

Resting her hands on his chest, she continued, “You can grow it back, I just want to know how well you aged.”

Still chuckling, he kissed her nose, “I will shave it off tonight.”

She looked so delighted, her expression had a touch of wickedness to it.

He cleared his throat and tapped her shoulder, she gave him her back so he could start undoing her elaborate headdress.

And it was truly elaborate, having Padme show up on a social visit had inspired Satine’s creativity.

“It’s alright to want me, Obi-Wan, I want you too.”

He kissed the nape of her neck in response rather than voicing his insecurities that she had so easily deduced.

There were times, like now, where the strength of his desire for her overwhelmed him. He had been raised to be wary of intimacy, though when he was younger he certainly experimented, he hadn’t in recent decades. He couldn’t risk unwittingly exposing himself or Luke to danger.

Plus, his heart had never recovered from losing Satine.

He had been so certain that Luke was the last person he would care for deeply enough to feel broken-hearted over if he passed.

There was no accounting for the circumstance he found himself in now. Sometimes he felt suns at high noon, other days he felt as if everything were so fragile that a heavy breath could send the pieces scattering.

Being with Satine healed more than it hurt, but he still had moments of feeling like a pervert wanting her the way he did. He had spent so many years wanting no one, denying all needs for community, friendship, company, that embracing love vaguely immoral.

“Talk to me, Duke of Mandalore,” Satine demanded softly as her silk hair came undone beneath his fingers.

“Hmmm…” he hummed, putting a leg up along the couch so she would be closer to him.

She scooted back, trailing a hand up his leg. They had already removed their armour. “Words, Kenobi,” she said firmly, even as she shivered again as his fingers brushed her scalp.

“I’m afraid of Anakin.”

“Understandable.”

“He’s my Padawan.”

“So? You know what he’s capable of Obi-Wan. I’m afraid of him too.”

His heart squeezed at that, and he almost whispered, “Luke has the same potential.”

“No, he doesn’t. Luke isn’t anything like Anakin.”

Obi-Wan didn’t answer that.

She glanced over her shoulder, “You disagree?”

He sighed, “The longer I spend time in Luke’s immediate company, the more I realize how it could have been with Anakin and I. Luke is like his father if Anakin had no fears. Luke is almost truly fearless. He’s a natural to the Jedi, and on the rare occasions he is afraid, he turns to the Force.”

“You are older now, Obi-Wan, and Luke trusts, probably has trusted you, even subconsciously, all of his life. You never had that with Anakin.”

“No, I didn’t. Holding Luke in my arms was one of the strangest experiences of my entire life.”

He had just finished taking down her hair, all the pins and ornaments rested on the low table. She turned, settling herself against his chest, “Why?”

“Because I had just left Anakin for dead and there was Padme, losing her mind over the loss of her husband, and in all the death and sorrow and chaos. On the very day the Order fell and the Empire rose from the ashes of a torn Republic, here was this little life, this beautiful light in my arms.

“I almost laughed at Yoda when he said they were our only hope. These two babies that had been conceived in secret, whose very existence had likely brought Anakin to the brink, yet they  _ were _ our hope. Luke was mine. He was living proof that in all this darkness light could prevail.

“And he was Anakin’s, as much as he had destroyed, he made Luke too. Padme’s dying words that there was still good in him. I didn’t believe her then, but I believed Luke was the product of not fear and despair but love and perseverance.”

Satine blinked back tears and wrapped him in an embrace.

He held her back, opening himself up to the Force. Satine couldn’t feel the Force, but he could feel the light of her, feel her love for him, for Luke, for her people, for life in the greater galaxy. He basked in her emotions, wondering if this is how Anakin sought comfort from Padme.

Satine was everything Obi-Wan wanted in life, and he gave his fear that this would not last to the Force, the Force filling him in turn, centring him in the moment. He breathed in deeply, the jasmine and citrus smell of her filling his longs.

Like a stone thrown into a pool, he felt Anakin’s turbulent signature a moment before a knock came at their door.

“Skywalker is here,” Cody said through the door, “do you want me to tell him to leave?”

Obi-Wan exhaled sharply as the moment slipped from his grasp, his focus from the Living Force slipping to his usually constant awareness of the Cosmic Force.

Satine pulled back from him, anger sparking on her expression. She caught his arm, but he shook his head, “No, he and I need to talk.”

Her lips thinned in disagreement, “I like Anakin, but you will always be my priority. Do not let him rip your heart out or I will put a hole through his.”

He gasped, “Such harsh words from my little pacifist? What are we coming too?”

She stood, catching his hands to pull him up with her, “You are mine, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I will protect you with everything that I am.”

He kissed her.

A second pounding on the door, this one much louder, “Call your Marshall off,” Anakin said, “We need to talk, Master.”

Satine pulled back and rolled her eyes, and muttered, “How is he that rude while being-”

“He’s Anakin,” he said, stealing another brief kiss before walking around her to answer the door.

When he opened it, Cody’s hand was itching toward his blaster and Anakin was glaring at him.

“Alright, you two. Come, Anakin, we can talk on the balcony,” Obi-Wan said, unable to keep the exhaustion from his tone even as he signalled a dismissal to Cody and Waxer.

Anakin followed him like a storm, and Obi-Wan felt his shoulder blades tightening with every step.

This wasn’t normal, Anakin usually avoided him for the night or even days after they had a fight.

When they got to balcony railing, the lights of distant traffic, small flickers compared to swarming rivers of Courscanti traffic, he turned to his old Padawan.

Before he could say anything, Anakin said, “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan gaped at him, “You’re what?”

Anakin rolled his eyes crossing his arms, “I’m sorry, alright. For the secrets, for lying to you, for never coming to you for help, for never accepting your help when you offered it, for treating you like the villain when you were only trying to teach me. I am sorry for it all, but mostly, I am sorry for letting you down, for hurting you.”

Obi-Wan was rendered quite speechless, he didn’t know what to do or say. He couldn’t remember Anakin ever apologizing to him without a flippant or sullen tone.

Anakin glared at him, “You’re not going to say anything? You always have a comeback.”

Obi-Wan held up his hands, “I know better than to look a gift-eopie in the mouth.”

Anakin’s arms dropped, “Did you really live on Tatooine as a hermit for twenty years to keep Luke safe? Safe from me?”

Obi-Wan felt the blood drain from his face, but he had told Luke it was his right to confide in his birth parents whenever he wanted. “Nineteen years, and it wasn’t entirely for Luke’s sake. Any Jedi who survived the fall of the Republic was being hunted. If I hadn’t had Luke, I likely would have been picked off in the early days of the Rebellion.”

Anakin looked distraught, “Are you really saying all of the Jedi were killed?”

_ The majority died by your hand personally, _ Obi-Wan thought as he leaned back on the railing, “Yoda was the only other I knew of, I’m not sure who else made it.”

“Ahsoka?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “I don’t know.”

“What did you think?” Anakin demanded.

“That her chances of survival weren’t high. The Empire killed known Force sensitives. Did Luke tell Padme too?”

“We were together, he was mad at me for upsetting you.”

Obi-Wan was both moved by this and depressed, “He shouldn’t have, not for my sake.”

“Stop it,” Anakin said, coming lean against the railing too, “You’re as bad as I am.” 

Obi-Wan tilted his head, “How do you mean?”

“The self deprivation; I’ve been told it’s unhealthy.”

Obi-Wan laughed, “Padme is wiser than the both of us put together, Satine has been giving me similar council.”

“I think we will both live longer if we listen to our wives.”

“Undoubtedly,” Obi-Wan said, relaxing as it sunk in that Anakin wasn’t here to continue the fight.

It was also a bit of relief to not hold back about the alternating factor in his life about the time travel.

“Luke told me my mother would have been disappointed in me.”

Obi-Wan physically flinched, “I never meant for him to see you as Darth Vader, that’s not how I portrayed you to him.”

Anakin turned from the view to meet his gaze directly, “He wasn’t talking about that, he was talking about the way that I treat you. About the way I chase after power. I don’t know how I ever got into my head that being the Chosen One, that if I had enough power, that I would never be afraid, never lose the people that I love. Luke reminded me that my mother valued kindness to others above all else.

“Luke reflects that. He never met my mother, but I heard her speaking through him.”

“Owen and Beru Lars loved him dearly, your mother was never forgotten.”

“You sound sad,” Anakin said perspectively, “Did something happen to them?”

“They were murdered by Imperials right before we time travelled on our way to a station in Mos Eisley.”

Anakin shook his head, “I still can’t believe you raised my son on Tatooine, of all places. Why didn’t you bring him and his sister to Padme’s family?”

“Naboo did rather well in the Empire, Padme’s family would have been under surveillance. We made arrangements so that Padme still looked pregnant for her funeral.”

“Luke said he thought she died in childbirth, but he didn’t know why?”

_ Because you choked her and she went into shock because of your turning against all she had ever strived for, _ he thought, but aloud, he said, “There were some complications. But you have nothing to fear for your daughter. Padme is in good health.”

“Obi-Wan, why did I fall to the Dark Side?”

He looked away from Anakin’s earnest face, he couldn’t look at him as he said the next, “I would like to say I haven’t spent the last twenty years obsessing over why you betrayed us, but it was probably my favourite pastime.”

Anakin said nothing.

Obi-Wan sighed, and looked back at him, “In all honesty, I don’t know. To this day, it doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, Dooku tried destroying the Order, but he was cold, calculated, you were so much stronger than Ventress that is no comparison. You reminded me of Darth Maul, you were mad, lethal, you destroyed everything, and you enjoyed the power it gave you.”

Anakin shuddered, “I don’t… why? How could I let that happen to me?”

Obi-Wan remembered the events on Mortis. “If I had to guess, Darth Sidious was tormenting you with visions. He made you believe that Padme was in mortal danger, and he offered you immortality.”

Anakin stared at him, “Immortality? Was I high?”

Obi-Wan quirked a smile at him, “You were driven to your breaking point.”

“And I broke.”

Obi-Wan nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, Anakin.”

Anakin reached out to him, and Obi-Wan didn’t flinch back as Anakin pulled him into a hug.

Obi-Wan hugged him back, feeling as if there might be hope for the two of them after all.

“Assigning blame will not bring peace to either of your hearts.”

Obi-Wan pulled back to face that familiar voice with exasperation, “Oh, so now you show up.”

Anakin whirled to face the ghostly figure, “Qui-Gon Jinn?” He looked back at Obi-Wan with wide eyes, asking without words if he saw him too.

Obi-Wan smiled, “You believed time travel but not in Force ghosts. Come now, Padawan, we saw him on Mortis.”

“That was Mortis!” Anakin exclaimed.

“Fair enough,” he conceded. Before glaring at his own ghostly Master, “Are you my Qui-Gon or the one from this timeline?”

Qui-Gon folded his arms, “Time is meaningless within the Force.”

Anakin recovered and snapped, “Is it? Is it really? Then what’s the future, Qui-Ghost?”

Qui-Gon raised a slightly translucent brow at him, “That is not how this works.”

“Then how does it work?” Anakin asked.

“Meditation.”   
This time Obi-Wan did laugh at the look of befuddled outrage on Anakin’s face. But he asked, “Why now? I’ve been reaching out to you?”

“Your mind was not at rest, but I was with you.”

Obi-Wan frowned, feeling far more at peace now than he had living on Tatooine.

“I’m not at peace,” Anakin said, “and I can see you.”

Qui-Gon nodded, “Through Obi-Wan you are able to perceive me. Always will you be his Padawan, as he will always be mine. These bonds between us can be broken, muddled, and healed as they have been tonight.”

“Master,” Obi-Wan said, “I’m not quite sure-”

“In pushing Anakin away, you pushed me away as well, Obi-Wan. Luke was able to reach me in the Force, though he didn’t know me.”

“When?”

“His vision quest on Ilum,” Qui-Gon said, “and he could reach us all if he attempted it. You’ve done well in teaching him, Obi-Wan. The life of a Tatooine moisture farmer prepped him in ways that the Temple could not.”

“Extensive levels of boredom?” Anakin stated flatly.

Qui-Gon bowed his head, “Quite so. I myself found the Force wandering the jungles of undeveloped planets more deeply than I was ever able to on Coruscant.”

Obi-Wan opened himself wider to the Force, and felt the training bonds between himself Luke first, but the between him and Anakin were stronger than Obi-Wan could ever recall them being.

But he also sensed something off with Qui-Gon, “What is wrong?”

“Things have been set in motion,” Qui-Gon said, “Anakin, there is much Obi-Wan could still teach you, but in truth, he has already given all you need. You must be critical of your own heart.” Qui-Gon looked back to Obi-Wan, “You must push Luke, the tide has already shifted to him, he must end what Anakin began.”

“Why can’t you just say anything plainly?” Anakin demanded.

Qui-Gon smiled at him, “Because I see too many possibilities. The Jedi must reclaim the Republic as their own and when Darth Sidious runs, you must be prepared to end him.”

“Reclaim the Republic?” Anakin asked, “And ending him is the plan.”

Qui-Gon sighed, “Mace Windu must disregard Yoda’s advice as Dooku did. Sidious's poison runs further and deeper than you know. The plans that Leia delivered to you, Obi-Wan.”

“I never saw them,” Obi-Wan said, “I don’t even know what they were about.”

“Nor do I but, the chain of it, that plan is already in motion. It is these threads in addition to immediate problems that you must solve.”

Anakin folded his arms, “Do you ever show up to tell Obi-Wan he’s doing a good job, or just to chat?”

Qui-Gon blinked at him, then he smiled, “Such things lose their appeal when there is no tea to be enjoyed.” He met Obi-Wan’s gaze, “I am happy for you and Satine. I wish I had been as open with Tahl as the both of you are with your wives.” He smiled wider glancing over the rail, “I also approve of your apprentices.” 

Qui-Gon winked at them, then dissipated back into the Force.

“What in the bantha manure piles was that? Does he just show up like that?”

Obi-Wan leaned over the rail to try and spot what Qui-Gon had been looking at, “Talking to Qui-Gon is how I earned myself the prestigious title of Crazy Old Ben.”

Obi-Wan smiled, his heart warming as he saw the scene unfolding on the lower balcony that was distant enough to be able to hear in either direction unless they were yelling at each other.

“What are you smirking about?” Anakin asked, leaning his upper body almost fully over the rail to peer into the night.

Ahsoka and Luke were sitting together beneath the stars talking between themselves like two friends finding more in each other than they initially thought possible.

Anakin looked back at Obi-Wan smiling, “Your son or mine, that’s adorable. He is possibly the only boy I don’t feel like threatening for looking at my Padawan like she is the only female in the galaxy.”

Obi-Wan’s own smile grew, “It is quite remarkable how we all took so strongly to Qui-Gon’s maverick leanings.”

“Maybe he wasn’t a maverick, maybe he was what the Jedi Order should be aspiring toward,” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan thought of how happy he was with Satine, how her strength and love made him better as Tahl had made Qui-Gon better. Even after Tahl’s death, it had made Qui-Gon more compassionate, more understanding of the people outside the Temple.

“Perhaps you're right,” Obi-Wan said, bumping shoulders with Anakin, “I am happy to have you back, little brother.”

“I love you, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan felt something in his soul breath, “I love you, too, Anakin.”

They spied on their Padawans in a peaceful silence, the night breeze washing away the anxiety of the day.

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AN: Phew, wasn’t planning these chapters, but the characters have spoken. Thoughts, reactions, yes, Ahsoka/Luke ship is sailing, or feedback?


	15. Blood

KEYnote: To the people complaining about the unfairness of emotional outbursts, clearly your family is quieter than mine and you’ve never listened to someone remorse and bitch-out the absentee father, who probably didn’t orphan you to become a mass murderer ;) However unfair it is to Anakin, it’s also unfair to think that Luke wouldn’t have a lot of expectations about the man who was supposed to be his father.

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Chapter 15 - Blood

Anakin was both struggling with the time travel and having a son that was nearly his own age.

In fact, it was mostly Luke that bothered him, because Obi-Wan, despite all the changes, Anakin finally had an explanation for those changes. After all, from a certain point of view, Obi-Wan could have perceived the future in a vision of sorts.

Even if time travelling back twenty years into your younger self was a bit more than a version, it still was in essence, _a_ possible future.

Luke, on the other hand… Luke was a piece of Padme, a piece of Obi-Wan, and a piece of his mother.

Anakin had always believed that nothing good could come from Tatooine, Luke was a testament to the opposite. He was… everything Anakin wasn’t.

As far as he could tell Luke was a natural Jedi.

A natural, when everything but power had come with painstaking effort for Anakin.

Power that Luke also had the potential.

This wasn’t even accounting for the whole Sith Lord, mass murdering, failing in every possible way imaginable that Anakin was having to come to terms with.

He really had two options if he wanted to put their words together as truth, either he had fallen victim to Palpatine and Dark Side or he had chosen to be a monster.

Neither of the options were acceptable in his mind.

Luckily, the person he could blame for it all was killable once they got him out of office.

That something in him riggled in shame for falling into Palpatine’s honeyed poison, that a Sith Lord had manipulated from the dawn of his freedom so now he couldn’t even fully trust his own mind, his own emotions, or his heart…

He couldn’t trust himself.

Obi-Wan and he were on better terms than they had been since… well, sadly, they were probably on the best of terms than they ever had been. Regardless, Anakin could still read the shadows haunting the Duke of Mandalore.

His Master didn’t trust him, not completely, and that would take years to mend.

Years it would take to untangle the webs Palpatine had chained them in.

He entered the training room, Luke, his son (still weird) was sitting between Ahsoka and Appo on a bench. Rex was leaning against the wall, catching up with all of them, and from the smiles on their faces, Anakin knew that the friendships between them would be the sort to last a lifetime or two.

Luke noticed him first, his smile falling, and Anakin felt like a monster.

He had just found out he was going to be a dad which had been the greatest joy. But by a twist of fate; he already was a father.

He was already a disappointment.

_I hope your daughter doesn’t end up like I did._

Force help him, Anakin didn’t know how to deal with this. Could he be held accountable for things he hadn’t done yet? Yet things he had been cable of?

As if in answer, Obi-Wan came up behind him, patting his back, “Ah, my lazy Padawans, you are aware this is a training room, no?”

And then, Anakin had to do a double-take as he saw Obi-Wan’s face, all of his face.

“You finally shaved your beard!?”

He looked like a completely different person.

Obi-Wan winked at him, “Satine wished me to, but don’t get used to it.” Before he spoke through their bond, _Luke has already forgiven you, Anakin. I think he was capable of forgiving Darth Vader. The words he said to you were that of a boy who had never known his father in addition to his for care of me. He meant you no lasting harm._

Anakin took in a steadying breath. Supposedly, he didn’t have a father, but he still thought it was a polite lie his mother told.

He had never wanted to poke at that, but if he had been confronted with his father, after all these years…

Yeah, he would have been pissed too, no matter the excuse short of being sold off to another slaver, and if he had ever hurt his mother, well then…

Patricide wouldn’t have been off the table.

But Luke?

Luke was a different sort, his face lit up at seeing Obi-Wan comfortably at his side as he stood.

Luke turned to offer his hand to Ahsoka.

Ahsoka grinned shaking her head and stretching her legs out, “I want to see you and Anakin spar, Cadet Skywalker.”

Luke sniffed, raising his chin as he said grandly, “It’s Viscount Kenobi.”

Ahsoka sniggered at him and he grinned in turn.

Oh, they were so smitten with each other.

Anakin exchanged a look with Obi-Wan.

From the evil glint in his Master’s gaze, they were on the same page.

“Ah, so that’s what you two were up to last night, huh Snips?” Anakin teased, “Recounting the past?”

Ahsoka flushed, “I- we were just talking- I mean,” she swallowed, “I’m not the one who got married in secret, Mr. Naboo.”

Anakin didn’t quite know how to respond to that.

Luke managed to change the subject fluidly, “Did you really want to spare, Anakin?”

He was relieved that Luke didn’t address him as father, even if it was true, Luke might have a sister in their yet unborn daughter, but Anakin would never be able to assume the role as Luke’s dad, no matter the truth of it spelled in their blood.

Anakin nodded, “Sure, just don’t get your hopes up that you will be much of a challenge, you are a new Padawan after all.”

Luke smiled at him sweetly, “Of course not.”

He flicked his gaze to Obi-Wan and Anakin whispered through their connection, _He’s your son._

Obi-Wan gave a bow and went to take Luke’s spot beside Ahsoka.

Anakin turned to Luke and they bowed to each other at the waist, before their blades ignited.

Luke, thankfully, didn’t take Obi-Wan’s taunting pose, just a simple frontal guard.

Soresu.

Not unexpected, but a part of Anakin was jealous.

Ahsoka used Form IV instead of his own form. Obi-Wan teaching someone in the Form he was the acknowledged Master of, must have been so much easier.

Of course, that wasn’t really what was holding Anakin’s focus, “Pink?”

Luke glared, “Orange.”

Anakin smirked, “Still on the red spectrum, kid.” He turned his gaze to Obi-Wan for a brief second to say some quip, but then Luke did something un-Soresu like; Luke pressed the attack.

Sithspit, the kid was fast, fast like Ahsoka and nearly as nimble.

But not half so aggressive.

It wasn’t hard to keep Luke off him, but it wasn’t uninteresting either.

Obi-Wan must have taught him some Form I, but he appeared to know mostly Form III which wasn’t typical of any of the people, Sith or Jedi, that Anakin ever fought before.

Additionally, as Soresu wasn’t designed for pressing the attack, Luke was improving in truly interesting ways.

It should have been easy to knock Luke back, but the little Kenobi was letting the Force guide him, which was honestly distracting.

Aside from the events of Mortis, Anakin had never fought someone who was his match pound for midi-chlorian.

Was this how others felt fighting him? 

As they parried with each other, Anakin felt as if they were clearing the air between, unspoken issues raised and dealt with. He was glad, he wished all his issues could be solved with a spar.

But soon Anakin found an opening and he was pointed at Luke’s throat.

Anakin smiled at him, “Not bad.”

“Again,” Obi-Wan said, “Anakin, quit holding back. Teach him something.”

Anakin rolled his eyes, “Fine.” He met Luke’s gaze, “Blame him for this.”

Luke said nothing, his gaze focused.

Huh, he might be the only one in their lineage who didn’t seem inclined to talk during a spar.

Well, maybe Qui-Gon hadn’t, Anakin would have to ask Obi-Wan about that though to be sure.

This time, Anakin didn’t hold back. If Obi-Wan said to wipe the floor with his newest Padawan, who was he to argue?

But it wasn’t as easy as the first match, Luke was far more skilled in defence, and his adaptations proved quite the challenge.

Yes, Luke was using Soresu, but he was far from mastering it and as he had nothing else to fall back on, he just, well, blocked, skittered out of the way with practicality rather than finesse. Anakin found that he couldn’t predict anything, nowhere Luke would defend nor where he would drop back. 

Anakin was distracted by the humming of the Force this close to the kid. Luke’s presence in the Force outshining the glare of pink and blue.

He couldn’t deny that Luke was good, better than good, really. Also, he had the feeling that Luke was getting better with every parry, more sure of himself, more sure of what Anakin would do.

Anakin was about done with it, he wasn’t going to let Luke show him up in front of Ahsoka and Obi-Wan.

But Anakin was watching Luke’s face as he moved to begin a fury of strikes.

He saw Luke’s ‘oh’ of surprise as some knowledge in his head clicked into place.

Anakin found a foot in his instep, and Luke took his saber from his hand as Anakin twisted back to keep from being maimed.

His heart was racing as he found his own saber and a glare of pink, the same hue as the setting suns of Tatooine, at his throat.

This was a move Obi-Wan had used on him more than once, a move he must have taught specifically to Luke for him to be able to execute the motion so gracefully.

Appo let out a whistle as Luke extinguished the blades, bowed then tossed Anakin back his saber.

Anakin was so ready for round three as Ahsoka and Rex began to joke about the ‘younger’ generations.

But Obi-Wan was already stepping forward, Luke was bubbling with excitement.

Luke reminded Anakin of… no one, Luke was just Luke. Untainted optimism and earnest intent. 

“Can we-” Luke began.

But Obi-Wan shook his head, “Anakin won’t let you pull that trick twice and they are due to return to Coruscant soon. And I would like to see if Anakin is as good as I remember him being.”

Anakin scoffed, “We aren’t going to have time for one of our sparring matches.”

Obi-Wan won most duels by flitting around the room until Anakin eventually grew tired or sloppy.

Obi-Wan, however, shook his head, “You won’t last that long.”

Anakin raised his brow, rarely didn’t his Master ever sound quite _that_ certain, “Oh, really? Something I missed.”

Obi-Wan nodded, “Twenty years of my being trapped in the desert with little else to do but practice.”

Anakin felt a chill go down his spine as he reassessed the man he thought he knew so well.

Obi-Wan looked the same, aside from being in Mandalorian armour, oh, and having no beard which made him look a decade younger.

But Obi-Wan wasn’t younger, he was in his mid-fifties. They were no longer within a decade of each other. He was a full thirty something years older than Anakin now. As Padme had said, Obi-Wan was actually old enough to have been his father now.

Anakin bowed to him even as he said, “Alright, old man, show me what you got.”

Luke went back to stand with Rex by Ahsoka’s other side.

Anakin was on edge, he didn’t know what to expect, and that nervous energy pushed him forward as Obi-Wan held his saber up and back.

A false opening.

Anakin expected the parry and was careful not to leave himself open as he pressed with more surety, more strength, not worrying that he would accidentally hurt Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was not stronger than him within the Force, but Obi-Wan was a Master Jedi, proving that being centred in oneself was infinitely more important than how much raw power one could wield.

It felt as if Obi-Wan was leading him around by the nose, and Anakin was careful not to lose his temper, that would be handing his Master the victory.

When he realized just how impossible Obi-Wan’s guard was to get passed, he fell back a bit, hoping to lure his Master in turn, to put the old man on the offensive.

Which Obi-Wan, uncharacteristically, took full advantage of. Suddenly, Anakin felt as if he was fighting Dooku as he brought his blade around again and again in defence, stepping back, almost running backwards.

Obi-Wan wasn’t using more strength, but strength didn’t necessarily matter when a saber blade could slice through bone and flesh with a brush of pressure.

No, Obi-Wan used speed that was blurring, Anakin could do nothing but defend and retreat. There was no opening, no window of chance.

Obi-Wan brought the butt of his saber slamming into Anakin’s knuckles that held his own hilt, he had been a fraction of a breath too slow to avoid it.

For the second time in as many minutes, Anakin found two saber blades on either side of his throat by a Kenobi.

Someone swore.

The fight had hardly lasted a minute, and Obi-Wan had been playing with him. Had that been a real fight, Obi-Wan could and would have executed him.

Staring into the blue eyes, Anakin saw what had broken in his old Master.

Yes, Obi-Wan still had hope, still loved, still lived, but the man who would hold back from a killing blow out of nobility had died with the Jedi Order.

Given a second chance, Obi-Wan Kenobi would go down in blood before he let history repeat itself.

Ahsoka’s voice broke the tension, “And that’s what you get when you make a Jedi Master into a Mandalorian.”

All the clones present, including High General Rex and Marshall Commander Cody, found that statement outrageously funny.

oOo

Anakin felt much less guilty about leaving Ahsoka on Mandalore, not with her and Luke lost in their own company.

“I’m glad Ahsoka won’t see the rest of this war,” Anakin said as they walked back to their ship.

Obi-Wan sighed, “She may still, this war isn’t ending any time soon. I do believe it was the just thing to align ourselves against the Hutts, or any slave empire for that matter. However…” He sighed, “The Sith are good at hiding.” He looked at Rex, “Do not let the Order let off pressure on Palpatine, continue to investigate him. Do not give him space to devise a new plan.”

Rex nodded, “After what he did to my brothers and I, never.”

Anakin shook his head, “We have the advantage.”

Obi-Wan looked off into the distance, “This war is not over. It may take a few more years.”

Anakin felt shocked, “You must be joking, we-”

“We have the armours, but we have no control over either political fraction. Dooku’s move against the Republic was ingenious. The war had lost popularity… but now? Even if we could declare peace between us and Dooku now, it is more than likely the war downsize yet multiple systems civil war.”

“How is that different from what we have been doing?”

“This war was started to preserve the Republic, but now that the Republic is all but fallen, now that the heart of us has been attacked. This war is now personal. The desire for revenge is hard to reason with, Anakin.”

“But the Jedi have the army.”

“There are enough mercenaries to contend with us and the Zukarians, while the Republic had no centralized army, do not believe that there are no war minded, private militaries among the Republic systems.”

Anakin was annoyed by this, “So why haven’t they helped us?”

“Because,” Rex said, “better it be nameless, faceless, meaningless clones die for them. We are no better than droids to most of the Republic.”

Anakin sighed, “People are awful.”

Obi-Wan nodded, “But we still have the keys to win, just do not delude yourself into thinking that it all goes away if we simply destroy the Sith.”

Padme caught up to them then, “Ah, I see your farewells are as cheery as ever.”

They stopped at the platform, and Obi-Wan bent to kiss her cheek, “Keep yourself and that baby of yours safe for me, Lady Skywalker.”

She beamed up at him, “I will.”

Anakin grinned, “Do you have any plans for more children, Master?”

“Aside from the tens of thousands, you adopted,” Rex quipped.

Obi-Wan nodded, “Satine said she might have problems conceiving, but she would like to try.”

“Do you want a baby?” Padme asked him.

Obi-Wan paused before answering, “Yes, but we’ve agreed to wait until after the war. I’m not sure I could…” his voice trailed off and he looked away.

Padme hugged him, and Obi-Wan hugged her back, when they pulled back, he said, “May the Force ever be with you.”

“And with you,” she said back, “And thank you, Obi-Wan, for everything you did for Luke.”

Obi-Wan smiled, “He has been my joy.”

Anakin hugged the man, “Thank you, Master.”

Obi-Wan’s hold was almost crushing, “Do not be afraid, Padawan. We are together this time around.”

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AN: I had to separate this chapter, forgive its shortness. Thoughts, reactions, or feedback, pretty please?


	16. Jedi Lost

AN: _The Kenobi Scandal_ will be finished this year. I would say within a week but the chapters keeping fleshing themselves out soooo…..

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UPDATES: I will bounce around between _A Making of Mavericks_ and _The Darkness Between the Stars_ (not a time travel fic, _la gasp!_ ) for the next few months. **Significant Brain Damage:** Is the next fic that will be finished, however, it is on a slight pause. I just picked up two more Claudia Gray books and the Trilogy books. Leia is feeling a bit hollow for me at the moment and I want _Significant Brain Damage_ to reach comfortably 300K, so I am researching into the Legends and the extended canon!

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Chapter 16 - Jedi Lost

Satine was worried about her husband.

To say Obi-Wan had arrived back in her life and completely uprooted everything. It had started with the Sky Corps that had landed on her planet.

She knew most of her people accounted Obi-Wan for being the reason she had broken with her imposing Pafacism on her people. Certainly, Obi-Wan had been the catalyst by not the reason. The reason had been on the Security Chief's lips.

Had the 7th Sky Corps have pushed an attack, there was nothing they could have done to stop them.

Followed by her guard not only allowing the clones among their ranks, but welcoming them, grateful for the support.

It was until that moment did she realize how badly she had crippled her people, and Mandalore was too vital on the larger scale in relation to the rest of the galaxy.

They were Mandalorians, they shouldn't have needed any outsiders' help to protect them.

As much as she loved Obi-Wan, she shouldn't have needed him to protect her.

Her father had raised her better than that.

For Kriff's sake, it was the invitation of the Jedi to Mandalore by Death Watch that had started the civil war that had torn her world apart. Her father would have been appalled had the danger she had placed them all in.

Her own sister turning traitor was the final stroke. Satine, however, would not regret her passed policies, because despite the extreme measures she had taken, it had allowed an era of peace after a period of great loss and chaos.

The Concordia Academy was Obi-Wan's doing, it was an absolute stroke of genius. Bringing back the warriors from their exile on the Concordia moon, that she had imposed on them, not in shame or reluctance, or even 'you've been good, here's a cracker': no, it had welcomed them back into the wider system with honour, an embarrassing of their history and honour, of the good parts that made up their history without ignoring or commending the bad.

Clan honour was only a problem when their talents were turned against themselves. The Academy provided a place for both individual clan pride and Mandalorian unity. Brought together, not because she as a dictator had degreed it, but from the common values they all shared; protecting family, protecting their honour as people.

Her people were thriving, and the clones had been welcomed as, unbeknownst to them, as foundlings.

She had it on good authority that once it became common knowledge that the oldest clone was fourteen standard years old, they had been fully claimed as Mandalorians. Not that anyone treated them as children, but by Mandalorian standards, what had been done to them was beyond criminal. Had Kamino not been overthrown and remade into the System of Zuko, the Kaminoans would have discovered what constituted clan justice.

But as her people thrived, her husband seemed to be spiralling.

The Republic was in shambles, the Separatists were more a political movement than enemy military force, and yet, and yet…

The war was far from over, dragging on, month after month. The Jedi Order and the GAR arrived only to protect Republic planets from what were more like pirate raids than the droid battlefields the war had been.

But Count Dooku and General Grievous were very much alive and kicking. Dooku appealed to Republic systems to let the Separatist planets go, while the Republic cried out for revenge for the Coursanti Senate Terrorist Attack.

The Republic was turning on itself, hatred was rising against the Jedi who refused to take revenge on the Separatist planets that were all but defenceless at this point.

It was a mess, one that Obi-Wan seemed to be taking as a personal failure.

He seemed to believe if they just got rid of Grievous, Count Dooku, and the Chancellor, Darth Sidious, that everything would be righted.

Satine wasn't so sure, but she had no idea how to pull Obi-Wan back from the worry eating away at his soul.

Obi-Wan's grimness, his sharp wit turning lethal at times, were all reminders that no matter how young he seemed, he had spent the last two decades in self-imposed isolation in the desert after losing everyone and everything he loved aside from Luke.

Poor Luke was taking the full brunt of Obi-Wan's rising paranoia.

Satine flinched as Obi-Wan scored a solid right hook into the side of Luke's face as they duelled.

She always knew Obi-Wan was a superb warrior, she was even training her to use the Darksabre, but she hadn't accounted what would happen to Jedi Knights if in addition to their own training they were also taught by clone soldiers and Mandalorians warriors.

The answer?

She was pretty sure she had married the most lethal man in the galaxy.

Her father would have been proud.

Bo had laughed herself sick in her prison cell.

Satine dearly wished she could forgive her sister, but the courts were deciding her fate for killing their nephew.

Kinslaying wasn't something their laws took lightly, especially as Korkie had still been a minor.

"Again, Luke," Obi-Wan instructed, "You _must_ be able to defeat me."

Satine thought this massively unfair, no matter how talented Luke was, he had maybe two years of training. The boy was a far cry from the moisture farmer he had started his journey as.

Luke slipped as Obi-Wan brought his blue sabre down on pink with staggering force.

"Master Kenobi!" Ahsoka cried from the sidelines as Obi-Wan brought his sabre down towards Luke's exposed side.

But Luke Kenobi was down, not defeated.

He rolled toward Obi-Wan and the two began wrestling.

Satine's mouth went dry as she watched the two most important men her life grapple with lightsabres in their hands.

Luke managed to get a knee into Obi-Wan's gut, winding him enough that he got his orange-pink lightsabre a hair's breadth under her husband's still clean shaven, chin.

"Well done," Obi-Wan managed breathly.

Luke turned off his sabre and rolled to his back with a groan.

Satine walked to them, Ashoka and Appo following closely behind.

She crossed her arms and looked down into Obi-Wan's sweaty face, "Was that necessary?"

Ahsoka also crossed her arms, "Coming from the person who is newly able to perform their own form, I thank you're pushing him too far, Master Kenobi."

Luke sighed, but he didn't open his eyes even as he said in an exhausted tone, "I'm still breathing."

Satine rolled her eyes and offered a hand up to her husband, who took her hand, coming to his own feet with ease, using instead her offered gesture as a way to pull her to him.

She didn't mind that at all.

Ahsoka knelt by Luke's side and poked his arm with a finger, "Psst, baby Kenobi, are you dying?"

Luke made a noncommittal noise.

Then she poked his side and he flinched away, exclaiming, "Ow!"

Ahsoka was instantly apologetic, her eyes going wide. an apology on her lips.

But Luke was a terrible actor, and he was already laughing at his fellow Padawan's expression.

This time, when Ahsoka jabbed him in the side, his exclamation wasn't faked.

As Satine watched the two young Jedi start into spar, despite Ahsoka still being newly steady and Luke probably delirious with overexertion, Satine was pretty sure the only difference between Jedi younglings and Mandalorians foundlings, as well as Padawans and Mandalorian youth were the Jedi also training their young in the ways of the Force.

She leaned into Obi-Wan even as she watched Luke carefully.

The boy had been in one of the most demanding training retinues she had ever seen. Luke was actually training harder than Obi-Wan.

In a low voice she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I can't lose him, Satine," he said, "I can't lose another Padawan to Darth Sidious."

She wrapped her arm around his waist, "He has to be able to keep with the other Knights."

"He hasn't been able to beat me yet," he said with a thread of darkness in his voice.

She rested her head against his chest, and she felt his shoulders ease.

Sometimes, Obi-Wan could be... almost disturbed by touch, other times, it seemed to surprise him how much he enjoyed being close to another person.

"Darth Sidious defeated Grandmaster Yoda. Anakin bowed to him, for decades. I ruined his career, Dooku almost killed him and is now actively working against him. Yet we can't find either of them. What if they have taken on other apprentices? What if they found a new plan? As it is, even if the Chancellor was publicly accused of being a Sith with evidence, most of the Senate, the Republic at large, might not believe, might not care."

Satine didn't know what to say to this, because he wasn't wrong. The media had begun speculation as Dooku switched his campaign to a political one that the Sith weren't all that different from the Jedi.

They were just Force sensitives who didn't like the 'mysterious' Order of the Jedi.

That wasn't such an outrageous notion.

Such thinking meant that a Sith openly controlling the Senate wouldn't necessarily be a problem for most.

"But Luke won't be on his own, he'll have you. Obi-Wan, I cannot believe there is a finer dueller than you. I'm told you cut through Maul like he was nothing. A duel with Darth Sidious might take longer, but my love, that's your strength. Your endurance is second to none."

He looked down at her, his thoughts miles away.

But before he could say what had occurred to him, Gregor came into the room, "Sir, Duchess, the Court is preparing to release their verdict."

Satine's own worries rose in her throat.

Due to clan fighting, it had long been ruled that personal to the sitting Duke or Duchess would be decided by the Prime Minister and the court.

Satine missed her nephew fiercely, but the thought of losing Bo too…

Obi-Wan kissed her brow, "No matter they decide, we'll get through it."

It was her own words, but devoid of his normally ever present lilt of sarcasm, the words bolstered her.

She nodded and Obi-Wan signalled to Cody and Appo to keep an eye out on Ahsoka and Luke.

Not that they needed babysitters, but Appo at least would ensure they both stretched and Cody had taken the lead on ensuring that all of Kix's suggestions and instructions were followed.

Ahsoka was still recovering and Luke was pushing the limits that he could physically handle.

As Satine and Obi-Wan joined Gregor said, "They also are deciding on the fates of Asajj Ventress and her apprentice, Feral Oppress."

Obi-Wan didn't say anything to this, neither did she.

She wasn't sure if Obi-Wan understood how the law was likely to fall on the two would be Sith. By Mandalorian law, they hadn't done anything truly criminal. Mandalore remained a neutral system, as such, anything they had done for the Separatists wasn't punishable, any Jedi they had killed was more likely to get a pat on the back than a mark in their record. As for their association with Death Watch.

They had illegally entered the planet's orbit, but they hadn't assisted Death Watch to their knowledge, nor had they resisted arrest.

Satine didn't know what Obi-Wan would think when they got off with little to no punishment. The only thing Satine could think that might either work against the two Dathomirians was that as they had entered their prison system, by galactic law, they became Mandalore's problem. If they were simply released and did great harm, the system's neutrality could become fragile.

Bo was either going to be executed or exiled in dishonour.

Satine's heart broke for either outcome. After today, she may never see her sister again.

Obi-Wan took her hand as they walked, and it felt like a lifeline as they entered the throne room.

"Duchess Satine Kryze Kenobi," the guard announced after the doors shut behind them, "and Duke Obi-Wan Kenobi of Mandalore."

Dimly, Satine was aware of the two Zabracks, Asajj looked bored, though slightly amused at seeing Obi-Wan and her counterpart looked, well, terrified.

He must have been a very new addition to the Sith. Both were shackled, five fully armed guards to each.

But Satine only had eyes for her sister.

She wore no eye patch. The eye had been taken and the dipped socket made Satine's stomach churn.

Bo-Katan left the healing wound bare for Satine's balance.

_Hypocrite. For years you suffocated our people, yet when it came to your own life, you tried to kill your own sister._

Satine had said nothing, she was done explaining herself to anyone. Mandalore was thriving, her people were thriving, the land itself was being cultivated again, slowly but surely, native species were being reintroduced, donated by zoos within the Core, and rescued from trappers who sold the animals to private collectors.

That would not have been possible had Satine not forced her people to put down their arms, long enough to grieve, long enough to realize that living for their future was infinitely better than dying for past vendettas.

Satine took in a breath, and released it, letting her mind clear of her doubts and fears so she could be in the moment.

It was something Master Qui-Gon Jinn had taught her when her world had literally been burning down around her.

She took her seat, facing the room and the prisons with a serene expression, Obi-Wan took the position to her right on the same step her feet rested on, folding his hands with an equally calm expression.

She knew he was going to grow back his beard, she even agreed it suited him better. His face was too young for the sorrow in his eyes.

But she would love every part of him, every degree of him.

Always.

Her Prime Minister, Chakraborty of the Concordia Moon addressed the room without deliberation.

"Heiress Bo-Katan Kryze of Clan Kryze is hereby found guilty of murdering her own kin, a minor, Korkie Kryze."

Attempting to kill her own sister was seen as moot, as an inter clan cue was only clan business. Satine had chosen to wave her own right to distribute punishment, which might have been seen as weak, except the murder of her own nephew was a crime that took clear president.

"As such, Bo-Katan is stripped of all title and clan, even if, in the highly unlikely situation that the rest of Clan Kryze perishes, and we somehow run out of Kenobi's-" that got a few chuckles as everyone in the 7th Sky Corps was Clan Kenobi, and already marriages had taken place integrating them more solidly within Mandalore, the chances of killing off every Kenobi would have been a rather spectacular feet, "Bo-Katan will never be eligible as representing Clan Kryze or Kenobi."

Satine let out a slow breath even as Bo sneered up at her.

Her sister would live.

Chakraborty continued, "Her exile will be permanent and irreversible. If ever-" and this time he addressed Bo directly rather than the assembled court and guards, "you raise a weapon against a fellow Mandalorian with the intent of harm, you will be executed."

Bo spoke for the first time, "What if I'm attacked?"

Chakraborty stared at her with absolutely no sympathy, "Then I would suggest you avoid angering Mandalorians and stay out of their way in the wider galaxy. If ever you are seen or return to the Mandalore System, you will also be executed."

Bo-Katan's face went red, and Satine tensed, waiting for one of her sister's outraged rants about the unfairness of things, but Bo didn't disgrace them. Holding her tongue and swallowing her complaints, she raised her chin in defiance.

When she stayed, remarkably, quiet, Chakraborty moved onto the Zabraks.

Feral's amber eyes were so wide, so terrified, Satine felt almost compelled to give the boy a hug.

How could this male have been Darth Maul's twin brother?

Asajj, counter wise, cocked her hip, "Well finally, I expected you all to be quicker with a conviction. Silly politicians."

"Not even going to wait for the verdict before wagging your tongue, Ventress?" Obi-Wan chided with an insufferable smirk.

Satine was taken aback by the lightness of his tone, the fondness. Weren't they enemies?

Asajj made a purring sound that was vulgar in nature but too reminiscent of an actual cat to be anything but, well, odd, "I'm surprised, Kenobi, finally breaking your vows of chastity. Though I'm not surprised that you became a politician, I am a bit offended that you didn't seek me out before," she flicked her gaze to Satine, "committing yourself."

Obi-Wan actually laughed, startling Satine, and she looked up at her husband who's expression had lightened, "Oh, it looks like you moved on without me. After the Count and I, you've finally found someone your own age."

Satine gaped at her husband. Did he just publicly admit to having a past affair with a Sith? And accuse the same female of sleeping with her Sith Master?

Asajj laughed, "In your dreams, darling."

"Unfortunately, my dreams don't include your ugly mug. In fact, you've yet to even make an appearance in my nightmares," Obi-Wan quipped back.

Asajj pouted, but she leaned into Feral and ran a tongue up the other Zabrak's cheek.

Feral seemed surprised by this but some tension went out of him as he pressed his shoulder to Asajj's, nearly leaning on the slight female for support. She seemed more than capable of carrying his weight, as her gaze flicked to the guards who had come to attention.

Asajj continued her verbal spar with Obi-Wan, "You've yet to taste inked flesh, Kenobi, you wouldn't be so dismissive if you had."

Chakraborty called it then, "Would you like to hear your verdict? Or would you rather me shoot you to save all from the depiction of your fantasies."

"Isn't a blaster bolt how the Mandalorians execute their convicts?" she asked.

Chakraborty nodded, "It is, however, you and Feral Oppress have been cleared of all charges. Your crimes against the Republic are not Mandalore's concern."

Asajj blinked at him, "Really?"

"However," he continued, "as Mandalore is yet a Republic system-"

Asajj's face closed down, "You are handing us over to the Jedi Order."

Chakraborty snorted, "No, that is not the way. _However_ , as long as you remain within the Mandalorian system, the court has agreed to grant you both with asylum. The possibility of citizenship will depend on your actions in the next six months. If you were to leave the Mandalorian system, you would be re-apprehended and turned over to the Republic Senate -what remains of it at any rate, and if you were to resist, we would use force."

Asajj's surprise was evident in the silence that followed. "You do realize," she began slowly, "as an assassin, slipping past your security measures are far from impossible."

Chakraborty smiled, "Of course, but it is important that the token effort be made in the eyes of the Senate. But if I might appeal to your own benefit, that asylum would include food, shelter, possible employment, and transportation. You will not be left in the streets."

She barked a laugh, "Why? What possible reason could you possibly have for not turning me over to the Senate now? Mandalorians traditionally respect bounties on non-Mandalorians."

Chakraborty stared at her, "Yours is a closed case, this is not the place-"

"For what? To list how many people I killed? For the terrorist attacks I assisted, for all-"

"Your history speaks for more criminal action taken against you than by you," Chakraborty interrupted, "As for Feral Oppress, his record is clean, but for his own protection, we offer asylum. Unlike you, he is free to leave."

"I am not leaving her," Feral said with a snarl.

Satine finally saw the family resemblance.

Asajj leaned into the male a bit more, silencing him, and she demanded, "And what about my history leads you to trust me."

"Trust," Obi-Wan said, "might be taking it a bit far."

"Then what?" Asajj demanded, all humour and teasing gone from her demeanour, "Why offer me asylum?"

Obi-Wan cocked his head, "You and I have teamed up in the past to save our mutual hides. Why are you so disturbed with a verdict that leans in your favour?"

"Because you're still hunting the Sith."

"You are not a Sith, Asajj," Obi-Wan said, "you are a lost Padawan who was, for a time, taught in the Sith arts."

"I am _not_ a Padawan," Asajj growled, "And even if I was, that only worsens my position. So what was it? Tell me!"

She nearly bellowed the last.

Satine watched this unfold, unable to place Asajj's rapid alteration between emotions.

Chakraborty spoke, "It was your history, which is admissible in Mandalorian court in this case. I would need your permission to speak openly about it before this assembly."

"You have it if you'll answer my kriffing questions," she snarled, her nostrils flaring.

Chakraborty nodded, and held out his hand to one of his aids, who immediately handed him a datapad, he began reading without much between each revelation, "You were sold into slavery to pirates by your own mother and clan leader. A pirate you grew attached to only to have him murdered during a revolution, at which point you were found by a rogue Jedi Knight, Ky Narec. Who trained you on Rattatak while ruling the planet and subsequent criminal organizations as a dictator. Narec trained in the Jedi arts but failed to connect you with the larger Jedi Order, which by all rights, should have been your people.

"Narec's death orphaned you for a third time. You were able, for a time, to avenge your traitorous mentor who left you with nothing and no one, to take over Rattatak for a brief reign. You were overthrown and imprisoned in a place known as 'The Pit', where you routinely battled to the death with fellow prisoners as a part of gambling and sentient trafficking organization.

"This was where yet another rogue Jedi discovered you. Count Dooku, Sith Lord and criminal mastermind. Who trained you not as an apprentice but an assassin. You were plunged onto the frontlines of a Galactic Civil War. Only you did too well, and Count Dooku turned on you, fearing your power.

"You have been running ever since, taking the odd bounty hunter job and skirting the Republic. You may have briefly aligned with the Sith again as well as Death Watch, however, you took no criminal action against Mandalore, your possible intentions notwithstanding your peaceful surrender. So tell us, Lost Jedi Knight Asajj Ventress, what part of your illustrious career was of your own making and not the result of desperation or coercion?"

Satine felt her heart twist, and she gazed at the famed assassin, and saw a young female who had been treated cruelly by the galaxy.

Her voice was oddly toneless as she asked, "How do you know any of that?"

"Duke Kenobi informed us when we spoke of initial intentions of turning you over to the Senate."

Asajj gazed at Obi-Wan with disbelief, "How-"

"I made it my business to learn about your past, Asajj," Obi-Wan replied.

"But why?" she asked, "Because of pity? None of this changes what I've done."

"And you believe my hands are so clean?" Obi-Wan returned. "It was not pity that moved me, Asajj. Ky Narec was a crechemate of my Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. I knew him briefly, he was a strange man, and vain. His dearest wish was to be chosen by Master Dooku as his Padawan, and Narec was never at ease with Qui-Gon who Dooku chose instead. Narec failed on one of his missions, and instead of returning to the Temple to admit his faults, he faked his death."

"He didn't fake his death," Asajj bared her teeth, "the Order abandoned him."

"His faked death was odd, his death report noted, that there was indeed a chance he had survived, however, no one but him could have faked that evidence in that way. It was his choice to leave. The Order does not compel its members to leave, the manner of his departure was disheartening but not our place to force him back."

Asajj looked disturbed by this, "My Master was a great man."

"He was quite exceptional, as are most Jedi who reach Knighthood. But he was a disgrace, not for his cowardice but for failing you. You should have been raised at the Temple. We can still be the same people."

"I am not a Jedi," she said.

"Mandalore is not the Jedi Order," Obi-Wan said gently.

"Why?"

"Because it is the least we owe you. Not that it makes up for anything, not that it truly absolves you of anything, but you deserve the chance to decide the own direction of your life. We can offer you shelter to start that. Once the war is over, you will be free to travel wherever you wish."

Asajj cocked her head, "Fine, I'll stay. And we shall see _Duke_ , if you prove more honourable than your predecessors."

"Of that," Satine speaking for the first time, "you can safely rely."

Asajj smirked at her, raising her hands, the cuffs falling off where she had managed the mechanism somehow on her own.

Well, maybe not on her own as Feral's hands were suddenly free as well.

"Careful, your Majesties," Asajj said with a smile that was more teeth than anything else, "Safe isn't a word you should toss around so lightly."

Bo laughed, "I shouldn't have bothered trying to kill you sister, you're doing such a good job of getting it done yourself."

Satine stiffened, but Obi-Wan put a hand on her shoulder, "I will vouch for Asajj Ventress, she will harm no one who does not offer her violence first."

For Obi-Wan to say such a thing, when he had been stressing for years and years about the galaxy and the people he loved...

Satine took him at his word, despite her sister's sharp words and Asajj's own opinion on the matter.

* * *

It was funny, Anakin had just achieved what was possibly the greatest success of his military career, but at this moment, he couldn't care less.

The galaxy fell away as he held his baby daughter in his arms.

Leia Amidala Skywalker hadn't even opened her eyes yet, and yet for Anakin, she was every star in the sky.

He had been plagued with so many nightmares of late, knowing from Obi-Wan that Padme had died in childbirth once had only made it worse.

Yet is wild, dauntless, independent wife, had signed herself into a hospital apartment for the three weeks before Leia's due date. While Anakin continued to scour the galaxy, picking up the pieces of a broken Republic and destroying the remnants of Separatist weapons still on Republic systems.

The Senate had yet to acknowledge the Separatist planets as being apart from the Republic, but the Jedi Order had, and the Order had the army. It both made them a lot of friends and a lot of enemies. But as Master Mace Windu stepped up as a political power in the Senate had resonated with just about everyone.

"We must fortify and rebuild our federation before we can enforce morality on systems who took up arms against us because the Republic could neither offer them security or unity. The war was never the preference of the Jedi Order. There is no winning a civil war, only death and suffering."

Furthermore, with such much free time on their hands for those stationed on Coruscant, the Jedi Order had begun venturing into the lower levels.

Public education was being offered to all, transported escorted by Knights and clone soldiers to take children to the upper levels.

It wasn't something that the upper or even middle classes on the surface approved of, but as it turned out, the majority of Coruscant's population lived below the surface.

The Senate might be pissed at the Order, but the Jedi popularity on their home planet had skyrocketed.

It was quickly becoming a world that he would be proud to bring his daughter to.

Padme laid her hand over his where he supported their daughter, "She's healthy and we are both safe. Some dreams, Ani, are just dreams."

Anakin could have cried, but he settled for kissing his wife's cheek, "Thank you, Padme."

She smiled up at him, her brow still dewed with sweat, the exhaustion of giving birth clear, but she had never looked more beautiful, "I love you too."

Anakin grinned, his gaze tugged back to his daughter. He was under absolutely no delusions that both his wife and his daughter had him wrapped around their fingers.

But he was okay with that.

* * *

Quinlan Vos wasn't sure what to think about the changes in the Order or the fact that they knew the Supreme Chancellor was Sith Lord yet could do nothing about it.

All he knew was that he was grateful that the war had slowed down. Not that they had less to do, but the number of army to army firefights were, for the seeable future, over.

So what was Quinlan doing wandering the underground following behind a hobbling Yoda?

Simple, Kriffing Kenobi had told them to pursue every single lead, no matter how small, no matter how vague the rumour in the hopes that they would keep the Chancellor on the run. The closer they watched the traitor the less harm he could do.

That was the hope.

"Master Yoda," Quin said, "we've been at this for hours."

Not that it would have taken quite so long if Yoda had simply let himself be carried, but no 'touch the ground, I must.'

Only the ground was filthy, and Quin had spent most of his time trying to keep foot traffic from running their Grandmaster over.

"Speak to me the Force does. Darkness I sense, follow I must. Clouded too long as my vision been," Yoda said, not turning around as Quin glowered at a pickpocket.

Sticky Fingers skittered away down an alley.

Yoda looked like the old sentient he was, and no one's first assumption about Quin was 'Jedi Knight', a thing he had used to his advantage on multiple occasions.

His background in undercover work was why Yoda had picked him for the company, rather than his favoured partner, Mace Windu who had become public figure number two after Kenobi made himself the galaxy's greatest spectacle.

Quin could not pretend to understand the dramatic changes in a man he had seen grow up, but he was happy for him.

Quin was only put out that he hadn't the opportunity to rib the man about his illicit affair. Luke Kenobi was probably Satine's child, but he supposed it didn't matter as Mandalorian law didn't differentiate between adopted and blood kin children.

Frankly, it was easy to see how a Jedi Knight might adapt well to such a society, despite their history.

Yoda came to an abrupt halt, and Quin nearly tripped over him.

Quin looked around, then caught sight of an alley.

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, this particular alley seemed darker than all the rest.

Yoda didn't look back as he stepped into the darkened space. Quinlan had his hand on his sabre hilt as they approached the dead end.

The oddest thing about the alley, turned out not to be the lack of light ambient or otherwise, but the smell.

This particular level of the underground was far enough down that everything smelled from waste and lack of even the attempt of maintenance.

But not this alley... It wasn't clean per se, but it had the feel of a place that had gone long unoccupied by any living thing.

Yoda spoke very softly, "Connecting point this is, far from the surface we are, yet not far from routes easily connected to the Senate distract, is this."

Exactly the recipe for a hideout for a politician.

But Quin's foreboding rose when Yoda abruptly lit his sabre and cut a hall through the nearest wall.

It took a few minutes, but no alarms sounded as Quin got on his knees to crawl in after the little green Master.

What they found?

Was not a rundown apartment.

Quin closed his eyes, the layers upon layers of metal levels, extended far deeper than they should. There was a breeze here, a cave with opening points.

But the darkness was thicker here. And it was not a physical darkness.

This time, Yoda did take Quin's offered shoulder as they crept through the space, his soft boots making hardly a sound on the metal grate beneath his feet. The red lights bled out any other colour, making the shadows of what was a maze of industrial tunnels black and vast.

Quin was afraid to breathe lest the halls magnify the sound.

"Deeper, we must go," Master Yoda instructed as they came to a metal staircase leading both up and down.

So down they went, and down, and down.

When he had lost count of how many stairs he had taken down what had become clear was a service escape, he finally reached a door with a window.

Quin went to the side and peeked through.

He sucked in a breath.

Kaminoans.

Almost two dozen Kaminoans, all wearing slave collars and a handful of military humans. He recognized a few as men who had been 'relieved' of their positions after the Order had merged with the military wholesale.

"Cloning," Yoda whispered, "deeper yet we must venture.

Quin was ready to call for backup, but Yoda urged him, "Quickly we must act."

Quin slowed his own misgivings and turned down the last set of stairs. When his feet touched the ground, he was almost shocked at the feel of true stone. He understood what Yoda had meant about feeling the ground. The ground beneath his feet was true Coruscanti stone, and there was power here, such power.

The Force twirled around him, "Master," he began in an urgent whisper, "we shouldn't be here."

Before Yoda could respond the sound of a lightsaber activating brought a chill running up his back even as Yoda hopped down, and two green lights illuminated the dimly lit space, a natural cave that had been transformed into a training room of some sort.

"No," said a grating voice, "you should not."

"Darth Sidious," Yoda greeted, "Many secrets you have, over this is now, before the Senate you will never stand again."

Darth Sidious cackled and despite knowing their Chancellor was an evil bastard, Quin was still taken aback by the cruel madness about this man who had played the kindly and competent leader of the Senate.

"Master Yoda, too far from your Temple have you wandered."

"Not alone, am I."

Sidious cackled again, "Your arrogance blinds you. Now you will witness the full power of the Dark Side!"

Quin threw himself in front of Yoda as a bolt of Sith Lightning struck him.

Force it hurt. It was like his being, his essence, his very life, was caught in a live wire.

But it didn't last, Quin struggled to his hands and knees as the sound of clashing sabres.

Quin wasn't sure he had ever seen Yoda fight.

But he finally had an apparition for Kenobi killing the Sith's Apprentice.

Mother of Starlight, Darth Sidious was- playing with Yoda.

Using the wall for support, Quin managed to get to his feet, calling his fallen sabre back to his hand.

"I have waited a long time for this moment, my little green friend. I will break your Order, a pity you will not live long enough to witness it."

Quin was pretty sure he had also never seen Yoda truly enraged, "Not if anything to say about it I have!"

Yoda Force-flung Palpatine across the room, the man rolling in a graceless heap on the ground.

"At an end, your rule is. And not short enough, it was!"

But as Yoda raced to deliver a fatal blow, the Dark Lord rose like a leviathan from the depths of Mon Cala.

Quin was very lucky his own skull didn't shatter as they were thrown back.

Yoda was braced for it, Quin fell back to his knees, dazed.

Some Jedi Master he was being.

Yoda, however, kept going.

"This is where I trained my first apprentice," Darth Sidious said lightly, seeming to take joy in being able to unleash himself on their Jedi Grandmaster. "Isn't it amusing that had you not just listened to your own apprentice, Master Dooku, we wouldn't be here today."

Yoda caught a bolt of lightning in his palm and pitched it back at the Dark Lord who danced out of the way.

Quin hoped when he was their age he was so nimble.

"My apprentice first he was, failed him I did, use him you do. Never important to you was he."

Sidious laughed, "You're right, of course. Yet my assassin killed Master Qui-Gon Jinn, the sole man who could have thrown a wrench in my plans."

"Master Kenobi, done worse, has he."

Sidious's humour faltered and he snarled, "Obi-Wan Kenobi will live to see me tear apart his son. My empire will rise from their ashes."

And Sidious pulled a second sabre from his cloak, and Yoda began to falter.

"Vos! Run you must! Contact the surface!" Yoda called.

Quin didn't hesitate, his head was swimming, his body ached from the lightning, and he wouldn't have been able to spar with Darth Sidious on a good day.

That much was clear.

Still Quin's heart lurched as he left Yoda to cover his retreat.

Quin pulled on the Force to help him speed up the steps.

Lightning hit the metal grate and Quin screamed as he was unable to pull his hand away from the metal rail held onto.

He was going to die tonight, far, far from the surface, from his home and people. And no one was going to know what had happened to them.

The lightning stopped and Yoda grunted as Sidious cackled some more.

Quin didn't give in to the pain, shoving his discomfort to the Living Force that was already in a bad mood, he plowed through, taking the steps three at a time.

Deciding the stairwell was a death trap, he barged through one of the doors that had no windows. He didn't pause to try to identify the storage crates as he raced toward the turbo lift directly across the room, his body protesting each footfall.

He didn't call the lift, he cut a hole through the door, which did cause strobe alarms. If Darth Sidious didn't kill them, there were going to be at least five disgruntled captains and majors who had a bone to pick with the Order.

Thankfully, the lift was below them, and the emergency procedures locking it in place, hooking his sabre on his belt, he began to climb the cable.

He was two floor ups when Yoda caught up to him. The Grandmaster hopped easily onto his back, his breathing ragged in Quin's ear.

Quinlan made it up several more floors, the shaft extending so far up he had to wonder if it reached the surface.

Sidious's laughter echoed up the shaft, magnifying in rippling measure.

"Live," Yoda spoke in his ear, before he let go.

"Master!" Quin bellowed, but Yoda spun with sabre lit, cutting the cable, sending Quinlan shooting up into the darkness at such speeds that the Force lighting that licked up the shaft never reached him.

The lightning pittered off, and Quinlan understood that he couldn't have possibly heard it, he was too far away, but when Sidious sabres cut down into Yoda's body, Quin felt the wounds through his own heart.

He made it to the surface, but he would have given his life a thousand times over to not have lost Master Yoda like that.

The being who he had known since he was a youngling, whose abundance of light the Order had shaped itself around, blown out with sickening ease.

* * *

Obi-Wan woke gasping, the only thing that kept him sane in that moment was Satine's sleeping form spooned in his arms.

He reached out into the Force and found the surest light in the galaxy, the ever present star that had existed before him and had remained when all other lights went out, had faltered.

Winked out into the darkness.

Satine woke and tried to turn to face him but he held on to her burying his face in the curve of her neck.

"Obi-Wan," Satine said coaxingly, "it is just a dream."

He felt the tears spill as he said roughly, "Yoda is gone. He was the only one…"

Who had continued on into a broken future. Who had seen Obi-Wan through every trial and failure.

He was a part of the Force now, he shouldn't grieve. Yoda had certainly lived a full life.

But it was the final blow to Obi-Wan's nerves.

He had destroyed his own cursed past, yet that didn't mean that things couldn't alter into something far worse.

Satine arched in his arms, bringing her arm back to press his cheek to hers, her hand tangling in his hair.

"Hush, my love, it's okay to fall apart. I'll catch you, and in the morning we can put the pieces back together. It is alright to grieve."

He could argue that, but for tonight, just for tonight, he let himself fall into darkness and Satine followed him down.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, puppies, or feedback? Pretty please?


	17. A Passing Star

_Significant Brain Damage:_ On a slight pause as I do research by reading published books.

 _The Queen Does Not Need to Know:_ Complete.

 **The Kenobi Scandal:** One chapter left!

 _The Making of Mavericks:_ In progress.

 **The Darkness Between the Stars:** Actively in progress. My first non-time travel story :D

Chapter 17 - Transformed

Grandmaster Yoda’s passing was the most public grieving ceremony in living memory.

For centuries, the Mystic Order of the Jedi were so secretive, so removed in bearing the idea that the rumours of their being emotionless, cold, and careless killers had laid under the surface of all the great legends.

The Galactic Civil War seemed only to prove such notions; for no matter how many Knights they lost, they did not grieve, not openly.

However, Grandmaster Yoda’s funeral was anything but private.

The ceremony was done outside before dawn when most of the city was. Thousands of lightsabres raised to greet the sun, to greet a new age and to say goodbye to the old.

The other corps were represented as well.

The Defense Corps wore white cloaks over their army.

Yoda’s enclosed pyre was lit as the sun crested above the Temple’s highest spire.

The images were spread across the galaxy.

For two months, everyone who was a part of the Order wore white robes. Yoda’s death was witnessed, whether they believed there was no death or whether Yoda had joined the Force did not matter so much as his absence and what that meant for them all.

The Republic was faced with a reality they had long ignored, the Jedi wasn’t an organization or special forces proto-military group.

It was a people.

A culture.

A community stretched and connecting throughout the galaxy, representing a little of everyone.

Whose imprint on the galaxy ran deeper than most thought.

It was not just the Order who grieved the grandmaster, but near countless communities who stood by the Jedi in this loss.

The Wookies of Kashyyyk had what was perhaps the loudest 'ceremonies’.

In many ways, the galaxy’s parting to the Grandmaster was less a funeral and more a celebration.

A celebration of all who had passed, of all that had been, and the future they had yet to tread.

The celebration became a movement, and the movement became a declaration.

The war was over and the new era would not be marked with revenge.

The mourning of Yoda was joined by the memorial of those Senators lost in the last true Separatist attack, then it became a memorial of all who were lost in the war.

“Did you know this would happen?” Obi-Wan asked alone on his balcony but for two ghosts.

“Hmmm,” Yoda’s ghost hummed, “Know? Hmmm, know I did not. Understood perhaps, when too late it was to call for help, when too late it was to turn back.”

“Is Sidious truly so much more skilled than you?” Obi-Wan asked.

Yoda shook his translucent head, “Desperate he is, scared he is. Fear and anger, stronger in the Dark Side makes him.”

“Then perhaps,” Qui-Gon’s ghost suggested, “you shouldn’t have cornered an animal in its den?”

Yoda fell quiet for a long moment before he said, “Led me there, the Force did. My time it was.” He looked at Obi-Wan, “See your past I do now, grateful I am, live through that I did not.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, “You were all I had left. Luke was mine to protect but you were…”

“Home,” Yoda supplied, “home I was to you, and return to me you always did. But though separated we were, though separated we are, regret not the life we lived.”

Obi-Wan ran a hand over his stubble, and let out a long breath. 

He felt Qui-Gon’s presence wash over him, “Trust in the Force, Obi-Wan.”

“You just told me the Force led Yoda to his untimely death.”

Yoda laughed at this, “No, no, my youngling, quite timely it was. Old I was, one with the Force I am. No regrets do I have.”

Qui-Gon spoke softly, “Obi-Wan, I cannot believe the Force wishes for Luke or you to come to harm, it brought you back to live. You have saved so many already.”

“Mistakes I made,” Yoda said, “a great many mistakes I made, but through Dooku and Mace are my mistakes transformed. Bright the future is, clear my hopes are. The trials ahead of you, wisdom and skill you have to overcome, Master Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan took in a breath.

He, like Yoda, had made many mistakes.

Yet through Anakin and Luke, his mistakes were transformed.

Qui-Gon smiled at him, “Have faith in _yourself_ , Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan looked at him, “Master I…”

“Luke will be ready when the time comes, Obi-Wan.” Qui-Gon’s smile grew even as he faded back into the Force, his words lingering in Obi-Wan’s mind.

In his heart.

“ _He’s a Kenobi, after all.”_

* * *

Mace didn’t need to see the three Skywalkers together to know that they were a family, but it was still funny to him that Anakin would risk his image escorting them here.

Even if it had been Mace who requested Padme meet him at the Temple.

He bowed his head first to Padme who gave a slight curtsy, baby Leia asleep in her arms, and by the Force, Mace thought the girl might be stronger than her father, before he met Anakin’s blue gaze.

The young Knight was distracted, probably attempting not to stare at his daughter, whose slumbering visage was adorable even to Mace.

“Congratulations, Anakin, your daughter is quite beautiful,” Mace said in a light tone.

Anakin’s face broke into a smile and he gushed, “Thank you! She’s the centre of our world-”

Then horror crossed Anakin’s expression as he realized what he had just admitted to aloud.

Mace smirked.

Padme laughed.

Anakin gulped and asked, “Are you going to-”

Mace waved him to silence, “Nothings going to happen, Anakin, and you might as well marry her publicly. I don’t know if you had noticed, but Obi-Wan was re-elected back on the Council and he's already broken all of our policies.”

Anakin gaped at him.

Padme snickered at her lover’s expense, “I couldn’t find a babysitter last minute.”

Mace nodded, “Your daughter will always be welcome here, and if you ever need a babysitter, the Temple creches would be more than happy to look after her until you business for the day is over. She could also stay the night or-”

“I will be raising my own child, Master Mace Windu,” she said sharply.

He nodded, “Of course, that is always your choice, however, traditions are changing here and your youngling will not be the only one with a similar case.”

Anakin asked cautiously, “So, there aren’t going to be any repercussions for my… indiscretion?”

“No,” Mace said, “however…”

Anakin tensed.

“I would ask a favour of you, Senator Skywalker.”

Padme gazed at him knowingly, “A political favour, Master Windu?”

He nodded, “Yes.”

Padme smiled, “Ah, a Jedi Knight finally speaking my language.”

She seemed very pleased with this arrangement, and to Mace’s eternal amusement, Anakin remained terribly confused.

* * *

Ahsoka was bent over laughing at Obi-Wan’s retelling of Mace’s manoeuvring of Anakin.

Luke didn’t think it was that funny, after all, his birth father's stress about such a thing had led to destroying the galaxy, however, Luke couldn’t stop the smile that grew from the sound of Ahsoka laughing.

“Are we going to be able to visit them soon?” Luke asked.

Obi-Wan nodded, “Yes, I’ve been tasked with helping the Council transition now that Mace has taken on the duties of Supreme Chancellor.”

Luke thought it was pretty cool that it had been Padme, who had been the one to help Palpatine ascend to office, had also been the one to call a vote of no confidence to get him out of office.

Full circle and all that.

“Is Satine coming with us?” Luke asked.

“Yes, I am,” she said, “Chakraborty has things handled here and my leaving him in charge should settle things in further.”

“It’s so weird to think I’m going to have a sister,” Luke said.

“More like a niece at this point,” Ahsoka remarked.

He shrugged, “Still, a bigger family than I had.”

Ahsoka nodded, but before she could say anything else, Luke had a split second to feel the alert in the Force.

He pulled his lightsabre and caught the downward surge of two red lightsabres.

Asajj grinned at him as she bore down, he twisted out of the way.

He turned sabre ready, he glanced at his father who made no move to help, “What is this?”

Her smile brightened, “Your father hired me to assassinate you.”

He had a half second to process that before she was at him.

She was fast.

But she wasn’t as good as Obi-Wan.

He managed to get one of her sabres, but then there was another.

Feral wasn’t as good as his brother, but as he didn’t want to hurt them and they seemed like the assassination attempt was more than half feigned.

That Obi-Wan’s paranoia had reached the point where Luke would actually believe him hiring assassinations, was probably not a good sign.

But Luke had taken Obi-Wan seriously throughout his training.

He wanted to be a Jedi.

He wanted to spare both Obi-Wan and Anakin from the burdens that had been placed on them.

He wanted to be the best version of himself he could.

Besides, Obi-Wan was right.

Despite what everyone else thought from watching his training, Obi-Wan was right.

Luke hadn’t reached his limits yet.

The clashing of sabres was the distant ringing of chimes as he waited for his opening.

“Huh,” Asajj said in a taunting tone, “Are you sure you’re Kenobi’s Padawan? I miss the bante-”

Luke Force pushed her, grabbing her remaining lightsabre from her hand as she was thrown back, Obi-Wan catching her before she was thrown into the wall at full speed.

Luke caught Feral’s enraged renewal of blows with his sabre, but Feral wasn’t that skilled. A kick to the Zabrak’s gut as Luke Force ripped his sabre from his grip before holding his own orange sabre to the male’s throat.

“By the stars, Luke,” Ahsoka said, “that was…”

Luke grinned, her praise meaning the world to him.

Then Obi-Wan went into him for everything he had slipped on, every opening he had left.

After said lecture, Asajj shook her head, “Kenobi, if you ever wondered why Skywalker thought you were a pain in the ass, this would be why.”

Luke smirked, “Bet Anakin couldn’t beat you as quickly as I just did.”

Asajj’s own smirk twitched, “I suppose not, but that doesn’t alter the fact that Kenobi is a pain in the ass.”

Luke grinned, “He tries.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “What am I going to do with you?”

Ahsoka skipped up to Luke’s side, that her legs had ever been injured was completely invisible in her gate lately, “Take us back to Coruscant where we can frustrate my Master.”

Obi-Wan laughed.

* * *

Leia fit in the curve of Luke’s arms like she always belonged, their Force signatures near blurring together in Obi-Wan’s mindseye.

Maybe their spirits were still twins despite the distance of years between them.

The sight made Obi-Wan’s chest burn.

“Are you alright, Sir?” Cody asked quietly beside him.

Obi-Wan nodded, “Sometimes, I used to think what would have happened if I had just pressed Anakin on his relationship with Padme. If I had just crossed boundaries and have been more family than mentor, if things would have been different.”

Watching Anakin talk animatedly with Luke, filled with joy and happiness with his loving family all around him; Obi-Wan _knew_ that things would have been different.

Luke passed Leia to Ahsoka who cooed at the youngling who immediately reached for one of her montrols.

Cody put a hand on his shoulder, “It wouldn’t have been like this. The Sith didn’t need Anakin to be successful.”

Obi-Wan knew that he was right. Darth Vader had been able to hunt down the remaining of the Jedi, but truly, it had been Order 66 and Palpatine that had brought them down.

“Besides,” Cody said, “this time you and I and all my brothers have a chance to start our own families now too.”

As if Satine had heard Cody from across the room, she looked up from where she sat beside Padme and held her hand out to him.

He smiled, and stepped all the way into the room to take his place beside his wife.

When baby Leia was placed in his arms, Obi-Wan gently brushed a finger down her cheek. A few months older now, she didn’t look as helpless as she had when he had last seen her in person. No, already her strong personality was shining through as she fought her blanket.

Obi-Wan helped her by allowing her arms freedom but wrapping the blanket under her arms instead. 

She quieted, looking up at him with intense concentration. He let his senses open, reaching out to her within the Force.

Just like Luke, she shone so brightly, the purest brightest point in all the galaxy. Babies’ emotional ranges weren’t terribly complicated, but what he received from her was a deep sense contentment, of safety and belonging.

_Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope._

Obi-Wan glanced up at Anakin who looked happier than he had ever seen him before.

Obi-Wan turned his gaze back down to the babe in his arms and stroked her cheek again, “I don’t think this is what you intended when you asked for my help, Princess.”

She made a small sound, small hand finding his finger and squeezing with all the strength she could muster.

It made him smile.

Satine lady her arm over his to trace her hand over Leia’s head. “You saved us all, Obi-Wan, that’s more than anyone could have asked for.”

Obi-Wan kissed Satine’s cheek.

He had been unsure about whether or not he wanted a baby of his own, but he knew then that if they did have a child together, he would love that child as much as he loved Luke and Leia.

* * *

Yoda’s death affected Dooku more than he thought it would have.

Yet, in the events that followed, Dooku saw the song that the Force had orchestrated.

Everything, absolutely everything Dooku had hoped the Jedi would become was coming to pass.

Pity, it had taken a civil war to bring about such a change.

Yet Dooku was content with the part he had played in all this. In the months that followed Yoda’s death, he began to look beyond the stars he knew.

What else was there in the universe?

How much time did he have left to see it?

Grievous barged into the hanger that they were using a makeshift hideout.

The Separatist movement had succeeded where all the plans of the Sith lay demolished. Any planet who wanted to leave the Republic, now run by Master Windu, was free to do so with reasonable cause.

Somehow, Anakin Skywalker had caught scent of the plans and skeleton of the Death Star.

Which the GAR had blown to dust.

“Master!” Grievous exclaimed, “the Jedi have found us.”

Dooku let go of his efforts to hide himself within the Force, opening up to find…

The very bright lights of Kenobi and Skywalker along with their Padawans.

“Kill them,” Dooku said.

“Sir, please, we must run-”

“There will be no running this time,” he said, “Go.”

Dooku understood he was sentencing the cyborg to death, he also knew that the creature he had been would have preferred death to what had been done to him.

Dooku waited for Grievous to leave, before making his way to the hanger’s roof.

It was unlikely that his Jedi grand and great-padawans would kill him, but in the off chance they did.

He wished to die beneath the open sky and flickering star light.

Dooku waited, gazing upward as he felt the shifting tides of the Force.

It was neither the Master nor Knight who found him in the end, it was the two Padawans.

He turned to them reaching for his own sabre lazily as the two Padawans lit their own sabre.

Dooku raised his brows, “There’s a colour I have not seen before, Young Kenobi.”

“Providing novelty,” Padawan Ahsoka Tano said lightly, “it’s what we do.”

Padawan Luke Kenobi said nothing, just watching him closely.

Dooku could feel his focus within the Force, the boy was so powerful.

He lit his red sabre as Ahsoka charged him.

She was skilled, but he had trained Asajj for too long to be thrown off by a double assault of sabres.

Fending her off wasn’t precisely easy, but the favour of this duel shifted as Luke joined it.

Bleeding Soresu.

Paired with Ahsoka’s more offensive techniques they made a formidable pair.

“You both take after your Masters,” he said in an even tone, pulling on the Force to help him.

He was able to take the floor out beneath Ahsoka, leaving just Luke Kenobi as she plunged into the high ceilinged hanger below.

There was no ripple in the Force, meaning the Togruta would be back with them shortly, so he pressed the attack, dispensing of any game playing.

Dooku was done with this galaxy, he was ready to explore the unknown regions.

To leave and never come back, he had done all he could for the Republic and the Order.

However, Luke proved the most formidable training.

“How much training do you have?” Dooku asked, the boy was incredibly quick and as the duel continued, he seemed to visibly improve somehow.

“Two years or so,” Luke said, not out of breath at all.

Dooku twisted his blade in a way that should have taken the boy’s hand off, but Luke was impossibly fast.

Two years?

He was better than Skywalker.

“What has Obi-Wan been teaching you?” Dooku asked even as he watched the boy with the pink sabre improve with every motion.

Was he…

“How to survive,” Luke answered, switching to the offensive with a cross between Ataru and… Makashi?

Was he learning Dooku’s as they fought?

Ahsoka came flipping back out of the hole that he had thrown her through, perfectly unarmed.

That single moment of distraction was his downfall.

Luke Kenobi sliced his sabre just above his grip, the blow back of which threw him rolling across the curved roof.

The weight of someone digging their knee into his kidney as they stopped his moment was on him before he could regain his bearings.

His arms were wrenched behind as Ahsoka cuffed him with Force dampening cuffs.

He was yanked back on his knees, looking up at Kenobi’s son in astonishment.

After so many years at war, and it was two Padawans who defeated him?

One Padawan who was only two years into his training.

He sneered up at the boy, “Kenobi-”

The butt of the hilt met his skull.

And he knew no more.

* * *

Obi-Wan was watching from the sidelines as Anakin duelled General Grievous.

“Hey, Master, are you going to help?” he called.

Obi-Wan smirked, “I am helping, Anakin, I’m ensuring he doesn’t run away.”

“I feel like we should have brought tea,” Cody lamented.

Obi-Wan sighed, “Your right, of course. Oh, and Cody, I wanted to discuss your joining the Council.”

Cody shook his head, “No, my home is on Mandalore now.”

Obi-Wan nodded, many of the Sky Corps and 501st had joined the Defense Corps, however, quite a few of the clones from other battalions had applied, and been granted, citizenship on Mandalore.

“How’s the lady with the sniper rifle?”

Cody was wearing his helmet, but Obi-Wan knew his Commander was blushing nonetheless.

“Some assistance?” Anakin called.

Cody pulled his blaster and shot thrice into Grievous's exposed back. So focused on Anakin, Grievous didn’t have time to defend himself.

Cody’s aim was so precise that all three shots hit the single exposed spot Anakin had put in the cyborg's back plating.

Anakin through himself to the side as Grievous explored.

Cody turned back to Obi-Wan casually, continuing the discussion as if nothing had happened, “She upgraded my blaster.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but laugh at Anakin’s exacerbated soot covered face.

“Oh, there are lazy Masters are,” Ahsoka’s voice called, “Really, Master is now the time to be tinkering with droids.”

Anakin sprang to his feet, “We just killed General Grievous, what have you achieved, Snips?”

She grinned widely, her canines showing as Luke came up behind her, a large cloaked figure flung over his shoulder.

“Oh nothing,” she snipped, “we just defeated and apprehended Count Dooku.”

Obi-Wan and Cody laughed at Anakin’s dumbfounded expression.

Obi-Wan went to take Dooku from Luke and said to his son, “I am so proud of you, Luke.”

* * *

Ahsoka knelt before her Master in the Hall of Knighthood.

It was a bittersweet moment. She would be the first Knight in hundreds of years whose ascension to Knighthood Master Yoda would have no part at the Temple.

Yet as Anakin cut her Padawan beads, she felt as if her life was just beginning.

Luke, she felt had done more to defeat Dooku than she had though, he remained a Padawan.

When she remarked on this to him, he had simply shrugged, “I’m still learning a lot of the theoretical stuff. Don’t worry about me, you earned this and I already think you’re one of the best Jedi Knights in the Order.”

His words had made her feel… warm.

As she stood, she caught Rex’s gaze who grinned at her, one of her lightsabres raised in his hand.

She smiled and bowed her head to him, for the first time since her Padawanship, she was truly and wholeheartedly looking forward to the future.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, wishes, or feedback? **One more chapter left!!!!!**

 _The Darkness Between the Stars:_ Is my first non-time travel fic, ( _La gasp!_ ), about an alternate reality where Sifo-Dyas survives his encounter with Dooku and the butterfly effect that has on the Clone Wars and more particular Obi-Wan who will leave the Jedi Order if it means stopping a Civil War ;D


	18. At War's End

Two fics finished in one year!! Sorry this was a bit late, life happened.

_ The Kenobi Scandal:  _ Completed, 100k. Epilogue releasing soon.

_ The Queen Does Not Need to Know:  _ Completed, 250k. 

* * *

AN: To anyone who complains about me not sticking to a single story. I'm sorry, but that's not my creative process. To my fans who found me from HP, I'm sorry but the Star Wars universe is just so much more interesting and larger and  _ fun _ to write in. It's also closer to the books I am building for myself.

_Laughing_ _All the Way to London_ will update slowly, likely with the next Fantastic Beasts movie.

In 12 Months we are going to reach about 700k of free shared fiction for this account :D

* * *

_ Significant Brain Damage: _ Luke in the Clone Wars with Legends material utilized, On going, 170K.

_ The Making of Mavericks:  _ Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Rex, Cody, in pre-Phantom Menace timeline. On going, 51K.

_ The Darkness Between the Stars:  _ AU, my only non-time travel story, Featuring Christopher Lee as Dooku, an Intelligent Villain, On going, 28K.

_ The Monarchs of Alderaan:  _ Basically, a crossover between the Prequels and Original Trilogies, where mostly everyone survives until 13BBY before things start imploding and is very Mark Hamil focused, very AU, and my most original plot and characters. On going, 7K.

* * *

Chapter 18 - At War’s End

Luke breathed in deeply, closing his eyes to soak in the feel and sounds of the room around him.

They had returned to the Jedi Temple, everyone knowing that the fireworks would be starting soon.

One last mad dash to the end.

Obi-Wan was staking out the Emperor, and Anakin was on stand-by in a starship.

Obi-Wan had been very certain he would run once the trial started. They had managed to keep it mostly under wraps so far that Dooku had been captured, but it was only a matter of time.

Luke and Ahsoka had had time to get showers and a bite to eat before the chaos started up again.

So just for this moment, in a room of a thousand fountains, they could breathe.

"Luke," Ahsoka said hesitantly.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. At this time of night, the room's light was set to replicate moonlight, giving her eyes the depth of oceans and making the white on her montrals and her markings glow.

She was the single most beautiful being Luke had ever met, inside and out.

She swallowed, and Luke would have given a lot to know what she was thinking.

"Yes, Ahsoka?"

She just looked at it for a long moment before saying, almost too quietly to be heard over the fountains, "I like you, Luke."

His heart skipped and he nearly tripped over his own words as he said, "I like you too, Ahsoka."

She looked away from him, her fingers tightening on the rim of the fountain they sat on, "No, I mean, I…"

She didn't finish, but Luke wasn’t quite as oblivious as everyone accused him of being.

“‘Soka,” he said softly, reaching out to her.

She turned to look at him as he touched her cheek, the world falling away with the sound of a thousand fountains rushing around them.

When she didn’t pull away, Luke did the single most brave thing he had ever done.

He kissed her.

And she kissed him back.

* * *

Darth Sidious, previously Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, should have been Emperor by now.

How had things gone so incredibly wrong?

Kenobi.

Both kriffing Kenobis.

Obi-Wan was going to watch his son die on a spike. A boy that had somehow bested Dooku.

There was only supposed to be one Chosen One, and Sidious had been sure to cripple him.

Yet Kenobi had been grooming his own heir.

A moisture farmer.

Sidious was spittingly furious.

He could not understand  _ how _ Kenobi had uprooted all of his plans,  _ all _ of them.

_ -No, _ Dooku’s voice said over the holonet,  _ It was his idea to bomb the Senate building. But he never intended to be there and he certainly underestimated how much firepower I would be able to pack into the foundation and dome when he let down the security for my people to get the work done.  _

_ -It was my intention for Darth Sidious to die that day, his sympathetic face wound was a mere -stroke- of luck for him. _

Sidious hissed as he threw the device against the wall, the thing shattering.

He would kill Dooku, he would make the traitor beg for his death long before Sidious granted it.

But he didn’t have time for that now as he rode his private elevator down to the lower levels, where a private docking centre was waiting for him.

It was going to take decades for Sidious to come back from this, but return he would. The Jedi’s suffering would be his, even if he had to pick them all off one by one, he would kill them all.

Them and their clones.

That was perhaps the most amazing occurrence over the years, the clones, Sidious thought as he started his engines.

He had never expected a million duplicates of the same person, the same person genetically altered to be loyal, to be so individual…

If there was one thing that Sidious, and his own Master, Darth Plagueis, had counted on, it was the small mindlessness of people.

And they had  _ always _ been right with very, very few and brief exceptions.

Yet the clones had… had become better Jedi than the Jedi, holding up all their supposed tenants without the Force even being known to them.

Darth Sidious doubted anyone would have expected, even the Jedi themselves, that the High Council would welcome the clones as equals.

Sidious hadn’t counted anyone ever viewing the clones as equals. At some point, a number became just a number.

Yet he had been wrong.

Sidious changed gears on his ship. He had once been as fine a pilot as Skywalker, another disappointment.

He was readying for light speed when his ship rocked from a rear hit, and then another, damaging his reflectors and beating against his exhaust port. 

Sidious had just enough time to see in his rear camera feed an image of a starship in hot pursuit behind.

He saw Anakin, the Kenobis, some clones, and Anakin’s Togruta making a vile hand gesture at him as he pressed his ship into hyperspeed.

There was an ominous rattle and shaking emitting from the back of Sidious’s ship that he knew could mean nothing good.

He was so furious that the Dark Side came alive inside him, a hungry beast chomping at the bit in a frenzy that made him feel nearly delirious.

If he was pursued, his foes would find themselves pursuing only their own demise.

* * *

Dooku sighed as he settled back into his cell.

He had earned himself a lifetime sentence in the highest security prison the Jedi had.

Well, he thought morosely, at least he would learn one last Jedi secret before being locked away for eternity.

When he heard the distinct sound of bodies dropping on the grated floor hallway, he knew that his time in this world would not be long.

His Master had come for him.

“Healer!” Dooku’s Jedi guard cried as the sound of sabres clashing was followed by the energy burst sound of a stun gun.

_ Strange _ , he thought, no one was likely to mistake Darth Sidious as a healer. Or had they been calling for a healer?

Nor, he noted, was Palpatine known for using stunners.

Dooku rose as a young cloaked Jedi stood at the entrance of his cell, a shimmering field of red keeping them apart. She had clearly been victorious. Observing a bit closer he realized she was a Mirialan.

“Ah, a visitor,” he said, “to whom do I owe such an honour?”

She pulled back her hood, “My name is Knight Barriss Offee, and I have a proposition for you, Count Dooku.”

He raised a brow, “Oh? And what could a Sith Lord offer a healer such as yourself?”

“Freedom,” she said without guile, “in exchange for your own.”

This, was most unexpected indeed, “Freedom from what, my dear?”

“From the doctrines of the Jedi. You were right about them. What the Order did during this war… It doesn’t matter that they salvage their Order, that they fell for the Sith plots at all, that they were so weak before the Senate and caused so much destruction in the name of peace...” She shook her head, “I cannot abide it.”

“So, for the hypocrisy of the Jedi, you wish to become a Sith.”

“No, but for all they have learned… you showed us how broken we were, you do not deserve to be killed for that, Master Dooku. The Light cannot exist without the Darkness.”

He did not hesitate then as he stepped forward, saying, “We will have to run.”

Time was now of the essence.

But her next demand gave him pause. She met his gaze directly, and he saw in her a sorrow that he knew all too well.

“Give me your word that you will not abandon me.”

That she would take his word touched some part of him he had thought had died with Qui-Gon.

His own words came with more sincerity than he himself had expected, “You have my word, child.”

Barriss slid the keycard through the lock, and Dooku was free. He called to his hand the sabre of one of the fallen Jedi. She led him through back routes not even he would have been able to find, despite having escorted many to these cells over his life.

There was not much talking as they got into a stolen deep space transport ship.

Before she could start the engines, however, he asked one last question, even knowing that he was delaying his last chance at a free life to see the stars. “Why does a healer wish to become my apprentice? What do you think the Sith could provide you?” 

“I want to see beyond what the Jedi teach, beyond the reach of the Republic. I want to know the Force, I want to know its every shadow.”

Dooku smiled, the Force, it would seem, still had a purpose for him after all.

* * *

“Why?” Anakin asked, “Is he the one who gets to pilot?”

“Because he’s better at landing,” Cody informed him as Luke pulled them out of hyperspeed following the tracker they had managed, by way of R2-D2’s aim, to attach to Palpatine’s ship in the ascent from Coruscant.

“Better question,” Obi-Wan said as he stared at the dust ball they were approaching, “Why is it always Tatooine?”

“Maybe the planet is fond of us,” Ahsoka offered.

Anakin groaned, “I’m going to be finding sand everywhere for the next few months.”

Luke shrugged, “Tatooine isn’t that bad, it’s just boring.”

“Boring,” Obi-Wan repeated grimly, “That, my son, is not the adjective I would use.”

Anakin turned to him, “You spent twenty years as a hermit in the middle of nowhere and you don’t think it was boring?”

Obi-Wan shrugged, “I had Qui-Gon, and I lived on the edge of the Dune Sea. In that time, I have managed to get into more trouble than I thought possible on a single planet, Luke got into more trouble than any moisture farmer has any decent right to, I taught the sand people sign language, and I killed three krate dragons. How such large creatures can survive off of the occasional bantha, I will never understand.”

Both Anakin and Luke turned to gape at him, as they said in unison, “You’ve killed  _ three _ krate dragons?”

Obi-Wan shrugged, “I’ve done more impressive things in my life, boys, than slay dragons.”

Ahsoka, Appo, Fives, and Rex laughed at that. 

Several other clone ships arrived in orbit.

Obi-Wan was taking no chances, on the descent, he commed the other ships, “I want stations in every city, tell anyone who questions you that we are looking for a fugitive on Jedi business. Do not start anything, and do not engage unless attacked. I need eyes to find Palpatine but no one is to pursue him. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Sirs,” overlapped over the coms.

“Good,” he said, letting his senses take over and he blindly directed Luke where he felt the disturbance as the other transports went to the main cities to scope out any and all repair shops. 

It really was as if history was trying to carve out rhymes.

The good thing about Tatooine was that despite Sidious’s impressive Force shielding, Obi-Wan knew this planet well enough to sense the changes Sidious’s presence made.

“There,” Obi-Wan said, eyes still closed.

“Where?” Anakin asked.

But Luke understood him, bringing the ship down inside a ledged cave with delightful accuracy. Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin who rolled his eyes, “Okay, I admit it, he’s a great pilot. Happy?”

Luke grinned, but his expression fell as Obi-Wan began giving instructions.

“Why do I-” Ahsoka began, but Obi-Wan cut her off.

“Because Anakin, Luke, and I are the closest to Sidious’s power level and we are not leaving Cody, Gregor, Rex, Appo, and Fives without a Jedi when we are Sith hunting. If Sidious manages to escape, you should be able to sense him if you are paying attention. You are to get them and yourself away safely, Knight Tano.”

“Thanks, General,” Appo said.

“And come save us if we get stranded in the desert,” Luke added cheerfully.

Ahsoka sighed, “Fine, we’ll babysit the ship.”

Luke gave her a smile that had a touch of warmth that Obi-Wan was not blind to, “You’re on a cliff, ‘Soka, your scopes could save us out in the dunes.”

Anakin groaned, “The only thing worse than Tatooine cities are Tatooine frontiers.”

“Hey,” Luke said, “I resent that, I had a happy childhood, thank you very much.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help the fondness that overcame him then as he ruffled both Anakin and Luke’s hair, “Come, my little natives, I’m going to teach you how to track over the Dune Sea.”

“Never something I wanted to learn,” Anakin muttered as he mounted his speeder.

“Oh, but I have, Uncle Owen always said it was too dangerous,” Luke countered as he hopped onto his own speeder.

“In this case,” Obi-Wan said, “Owen was probably right, you attract enough trouble without taunting krate dragons.”

Luke grinned, “But you’re still taking me with you now.”

Obi-Wan sighed.

“May the Force be with you,” Ahsoka said, and then so quick, Obi-Wan would have missed it if he hadn’t been watching them, Ahsoka stood on her toes to give Luke a quick kiss.

Naturally, the clones whooped.

And poor Luke was bright pink up to his ears even as he flashed Ahsoka a shy smile, “And with you, ‘Soka.”

Obi-Wan, to his own credit, let Anakin have the first word as they sped out over the sands under the familiar heat of two suns.

“So, Luke, how long exactly have you and my Padawan been seeing each other?” Anakin inquired.

Luke shook his head, “We aren’t- I mean we-”

“I agree, Anakin, a Master should be informed of these things,” Obi-Wan said, teasing both his apprentices with a single comment.

Anakin shook his head, “How do you know where we are going?”

“He’s just following the angry centre of rage and violence emanating from the sands,” Luke said.

“I can’t feel anything,” Anakin remarked.

“He’s too familiar to you,” Obi-Wan said.

“And can’t believe I was so blind to this. You know he used to take me to the underground? That was our first meeting together, he showed me what Coruscant really was. All the while, lying about his every intent.”

Obi-Wan felt his gut, “I am so sorry, Anakin-”

“Don’t, Obi-Wan, we both got played, we both made mistakes. It’s time we end this.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t agree more.

As they were cresting a dune, Luke called, “There!”

And sure enough, there was the burnt out husk of a ship.

“Good shooting, Anakin,” Obi-Wan praised as he threw his senses wide, turning his speeder to actually catch sight of the Sith before going at him.

“Thank you, Master.”

Luke said, “He’s lucky he wasn’t further out, or he would be dead whether or not we get here.”

Obi-Wan disagreed, “Don’t underestimate the Sith, they aren’t good at dying or staying dead.”

Anakin was the first to see him and dismount, Obi-Wan signaled Luke to go back around the crashed starship as Obi-Wan disembarked behind Darth Sidious's position.

Anakin, in obvious homage to his homeworld, greeted Sidious with a stream of Huttuese swears as blue and red sabres met under clouds painted with fire by the descending suns.

Obi-Wan had never truly understood how Yoda had lost to Darth Sidious, but as the black robed figure pulled a second lightsabre and stopped any attempt at shielding his presence within the Force.

Obi-Wan understood, and knew himself to be outmatched.

Which is exactly why he had brought Anakin and Luke with him.

And trained the both to be superhuman weapons of Forcely impossibilities. 

“You think you can beat me,” Sidious hissed at Anakin, “I broke you!”

Obi-Wan’s blade skimmed the Sith’s robes, causing the man, the monster, to snarl, turning in a whirl of red light, “Anakin is my apprentice, not yours!”

Anakin kept up his assault and any opening he left, Obi-Wan was there to defend him.

Sadly, even with their combined skill and power, Darth Sidious was still their match.

The Sith, after all, focused their training and strength on death and destruction.

Luckily for them, and most unlucky for Sidious, Luke was the tipping factor on the scale.

Sidious tried to Force push Obi-Wan and he snarled when Obi-Wan did not fall as a wind at his back held Sidious’s intent at bay.

“You are not powerful enough for this,  _ Kenobi _ ,” he growled, as he was forced to block Anakin’s sabre attack.

“It’s a good thing I have two apprentices, isn’t it?” Obi-Wan taunted as Luke all but emerged from Anakin’s shadow to catch the lightning with his blade whose hue matched that of the suns departing the sky.

Thus allowing Anakin to press forward.

Luke and Anakin weren’t exactly opposites, but their strengths complimented each other rather well. Anakin was undoubtedly the better bladesman, even with the extra training and Luke’s knack for picking up on other’s forms mid duel, that didn’t equate to the years and years Anakin had spent training with a lightsabre.

However, Luke had a calmer mind, he was simply more at peace with himself and the world around him, it showed in the ease of his telekinesis, much of which Obi-Wan couldn’t even take credit for teaching Luke.

Whatever trick Sidious attempted, Luke was able to sense and redirect, the moon changing the tides.

Sidious bared his teeth, “Luke Kenobi, you are better than your father.”

Luke’s smile was cheeky, “Which one?”

Before he threw his hands out, sending sand into the Sith’s face and pushing him back. Obi-Wan and Anakin converged on him, but despite his spitting sand and watering eyes, Sidious kept pace with them.

Obi-Wan wondered if the Sith were able to draw such power from pain and anger that the more you ticked them off or hurt them in a fight, the stronger they became.

That seemed sort of unfair.

But then he had brought two possible Chosen Ones with him, so who was he to judge?

Sidious was able to respond a minute later, his face dripping with sweat dusted by the Dune Sea.

Anakin might hate Tatooine, but all three of them were far more accustomed to this climate than Palpatine.

“Kenobi,” Sidious said, directing his comment at Luke, “You are stronger in the Force than he is.”

Luke relit his own sabre, going shoulder to shoulder with Obi-Wan as they moved as one to come at Sidious from the side, pushing him toward Anakin.

This wasn’t a common lightsabre style for any form. No Jedi teaching encouraged Knights to fight so closely with another. Space was always emphasized in training because lightsabres were always as dangerous to their enemies as themselves.

But Luke had the awareness of a Master and Obi-Wan had long realized that in order to beat someone who was a master of all the sabre forms, they were going to need to be creative.

Which is why Obi-Wan hadn’t taught Luke Shii-Cho, rather teaching him Soresu as his base form.

It hadn’t led to any dramatic differences, as there were plenty of Knights who never mastered or fully accomplished Shii-Cho before moving on to others, but there was enough of a difference that Obi-Wan saw both the interest and wariness on Palpatine’s face.

As Palpatine retreated rapidly to get away from a dual defense and lead Anakin away from them.

“It must burn,” Anakin said, “to have yet another Knight more powerful in the Force than you are, one that you were never able to influence.”

“Your power means nothing,” Sidious said, “You are a mere vessel for the Force, you do not control it.”

“You are wrong, Darth,” Obi-Wan countered, “in carving out everything that makes you human; compassion, kindness, in condemning your weaknesses and fueling your rage, it is you who is empty. You can only desire power for power’s sake. It will be the means of your destruction. Your life will be as your death; worthless.”

Sidious deflected the two blue sabres, Luke holding back with his orange blade at Obi-Wan’s side, Luke’s conscious extension of his aura shielding them from any counter telekinesis attacks.

“How?” Sidious snarled, “Did you discover me?”

“The Force revealed you to me,” Obi-Wan answered him.

“I do not believe you. Nor do I believe you kept your son hidden from the Sith all these years. Both my Master, Darth Plagueis and my apprentice, Darth Maul have been to Tatooine in the past. They would have sensed another of Anakin’s strength. We were aware of his birth before you or your Master, and Darth Plagueis was there the day Jinn took Anakin from Tatooine.”

Obi-Wan’s mind spun, “Are you saying if we hadn’t taken Anakin from Tatooine, the Sith still would have found him?”

Sidious smiled at him, his eyes flashing a sickly yellow, the red pits engulfing the iris like a blood spill, and his voice was inhuman as he hissed, “Yesss, the Chosen One was always meant to be ours. You only delayed the inevitable.”

Obi-Wan paused, pressing his shoulder against Luke’s as he pushed his emotions to the Force.

Obi-Wan had wondered why the Force didn’t bring him back further in time. Perhaps it was time he acknowledged that the Force knew better than he did about what was on the line to lose and to save.

Luke snapped, “Nothing is inevitable, puke-eyes, just as the power to destroy is nothing compared to the Living Force.”

Sidious’s gaze focused on Luke in a way Obi-Wan did not like as he almost boredly fended them off. Although by the sweat on his brow even as a cooler breeze swept over the sands, informed Obi-Wan that the Sith’s nonchalance was an act.

Obi-Wan did not let up, and he used his bonds that tied him to both Anakin and Luke to be more wary, more alert.

Before the Sith’s gaze fell on Obi-Wan, “How did you know how to thwart my plans? Dooku did not betray me so early.”

Obi-Wan scoffed, “Your plans relied too heavily on secrecy.”

Sidious’s lips peeled back and he looked at Luke, “Why were you not raised at the Temple? How can you be this strong in the ways of the Force?”

Luke blocked one red sabre as Obi-Wan blocked the other as he replied, “Because I’m not just a Kenobi.”

“He’s a Skywalker,” Anakin said as came down on Sidious so hard, the Sith stumbled back in the sand.

Between the three of them, they had the strength to kill Sidious now, but Obi-Wan had urged them to have patience. It did not matter how strong Palpatine was, he was still an old man.

Obi-Wan wanted no mistakes, and as of yet, Obi-Wan was still holding back, pretending to be the Knight he had been twenty years ago.

Sidious scowled, “Another Skywalker?”

Luke smirked, “See two dads, one who sired me and the other who raised me. Sucks for you that Force bent reality to bring us to this evening.”

Something dawned on Sidious’s face even as the suns began setting behind him, “Anakin and you are nearly the same age.”

“Time travel,” Obi-Wan said with a smile of his own, “most unexpected, but very convenient.”

“No,” Sidious growled, “that’s impossible.”

Anakin sliced through Sidious's right wrist, and Anakin spoke as Sidious bellowed with rage more than pain, “What should have been impossible was you turning me against my family. But know this Sheev Palpatine, you will die as less than a slave. Your passing will be grieved by no one, and your remains will go uneaten by the lowests of scavengers, for the water in your veins is nothing but poison.”

It was an old Tatooinian curse, one that only was used by descendants of slaves that some legends said made up the grains of sand in the Dune Sea.

Obi-Wan said the next, the Force filling him, filling his words as if he were speaking reality into being, “You will be unwelcomed by the sands.”

The first sun fell beneath the horizon.

Luke completed the curse that many a slave had whispered into the unhearing ears of their Masters, “The memory of you will be less than the shadow of rain.”

Anakin took Palatine’s remaining duelling arm off at the shoulder.

The second sun dipped below the horizon, and it was as if Luke’s sabre pulled that light from the twilight sky as his blade came around in a smooth arch; giving Obi-Wan the opening he needed to relieve Darth Sidious of his head.

It was over, finally over.

Anakin stepped over the corpse, spinning his sabre in a swirling breath of blue, he pierced Palpatine’s heart and the sand beneath him.

Luke caught Obi-Wan around the waist as everything seemed to catch up to him with the impact of a star destroyer hitting a moon at lightspeed.

Anakin was there a moment later.

Obi-Wan didn’t remember much of what followed after that.

He just knew that through it all both Anakin and Luke stayed by his side.

But the person who brought him back to his moment, to the here and now out of his fears and memories, was Cody.

Taking off his helmet, Cody knelt before him, and caught his gaze with a steadiness that Obi-Wan had long depended on.

“Obi-Wan, Sir, you have to breathe, the war is over now. We’re alive.”

Obi-Wan sucked in a deep breath of desert night air, the contrast of Cody and his brothers, Ahsoka, Luke, and Anakin being here, being alive; solid and tangible in the very place he had so long been exiled, centring him in the present.

They  _ were _ alive and for the first time in his life, the Force felt clean, and clear, and bright.

Cody pulled Obi-Wan into a hug, one that first Luke then Anakin joined, holding him together as he felt the relief and the sorrow, and the arching release of dread that should have heralded the end of the Clone Wars many long decades ago.

In the desert seas of Tatooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi felt the Force come into balance.

The war was over.

* * *

Please consider donating a review or any lost banthas, they will be given loving homes.


	19. Epilogue

AppoApples’Note: WAIT! There’s more!? :D

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_The Kenobi Scandal: Completed, 100K._

_The Queen Does Not Need to Know: Completed, 250K._

_Return of the Father: Completed, Short Story._

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To the Star Wars Fandom: Thank you for putting up with me, y’all rock ;D

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A Reflection on 2020: This year started with me sleeping over my friend’s house, she had been caring for my cat while I visited family. That night, the second day of the year, th four of us, plus the cat, watched our two countries nearly go to war. A month later I had two deaths in the family and Italy went into quarantine. This is what prompted me to pick up the _Master and Apprentice_ book by Claudia Grey as an escape, which was the start of me writing these eight Star Wars fics. What followed afterwards has been a test on everyone, despite losing my jobs and mental issues, I consider myself to be very fortunate. My heart goes out to everyone, whether you have been directly affected or skated by, these are scary times and across the world, we are grieving. In the States, it seems as if we are falling apart as misinformation and fear turn us against each other.

So for 2021, I don’t know that things will get better, but I know we can _be_ better. Remember to be kind, not just to others, but yourself. In the face of darkness, have hope.

The Force is with us.

Epilogue

Dooku and his apprentice Barriss Offee were never heard of again, but it is rumoured that at the furthest reaches of the Unknown that a New Order was started that was neither Jedi nor Sith. Yet thrived in the darkness as they gazed at the lights of distant stars.

Asajj Ventress and Feral Oppress became full citizens of Mandalore, managing the underbelly of Mandalore, or in other words, causing chaos among Mandalorian bounty hunters who strayed from the Creed. Did they become Mandalorian warriors? Not so much, but they did become the living embodiment of why Force sensitives were so often disparaged on Mandalore.

Asajj and Feral Ventress became known as the Witches of Mandalore. The pair did, in fact, become a mated pair, finding themselves far more suited to each other than either expected. Feral always taking her lead, and Asajj finding a partner who would never betray her. 

Their son, Wrath Ventress, returned to Dathomir and united the two clans between female and male together. Dathomirian witches (males and females), started using lightsabers, and the Jedi Order found that if they stayed out of it, the Dathomirians kept to regions outside the Republic. Dathomirian witches and the Mandalorians became the bane of the Hutt’s existence.

Mace Windu became one of the finest Chancellors of the Republic.

Luke and Ahsoka were wedded on Mandalore, however, their homes became Coruscant as both Ahsoka and Luke joined the Jedi Council. Many years later, so did Aashmi Skywalker, Luke’s Padawan and youngest sister.

Luke Kenobi would one day become the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order.

Ahsoka and Luke’s daughter, Sona Kryze Kenobi, was raised a Mandalorian and left the Jedi Order after receiving the rank of Knight under her grandfather, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to become Duchess Sona Kenobi of Mandalore.

Anakin Skywalker permanently moved to Naboo with his wife, Padme Skywalker, but was known as one of the greatest Jedi Masters of his time.

Leia Amidala Skywalker, their firstborn (discounting Luke’s time displacement) was born without Force sensitivity, or at least not on the scale that becoming a Jedi knight was a desirable path. She became Queen of Naboo at age thirteen, and like her mother before her, became the Senator of Naboo. She was elected as a wartime Chancellor for a brief dispute before returning to her position as Nubian senator until her own daughter came of age. Many account the New Republic’s ability to prevent slavery in its entirety within their borders and directly outside of them to Senator Leia Skywalker’s efforts.

Anakin and Padme also had twins, Aashmi and Anita Skywalker. Both were Force Sensitive and frighteningly powerful. Aashmi became Luke’s first Padawan and Anita became Ahsoka’s first Padawan.

It is said no two Padawans had ever caused the Jedi Order more headaches, and some even blame Anita for Yoda’s willful death, cough-cough, joining with the Force.

The clones basically took over the Republic in every other sense, becoming the heart and soul of the Order and humanity as race and people. Cody had many babies with the beautiful Mandalorian with golden hair and rifle. Rex followed his example with woman Coreilla who had a thing for dragon tattoos. It would be impossible to cover all their destinies, all their linages, but being descended from a clone was known as something to be proud of.

Obi-Wan and Satine lineage was no less disastrous; they had one biological child who was born blind. 

She was named Tahl Kenobi, and she became the next Mandalorian.

Whether or not she became a Jedi, historians have been debating for centuries, though her accomplishments and reputation as a bounty hunter and vigilante were the stuff of legends. 

Both Tahl Kenobi’s children, however, became Jedi Knights, Ben and Rayna Kenobi Djarin, as well as their adoptive son.

As for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Duchess Satine’s final fates, well, they lived very long, very happy lives together, seeing the birth of their great-grandbabies.

In all the galaxy no two people were ever so grateful or content with their lives, nor did two people inspire quite as many revolutions in the greater galaxy.

It was many thousands of years before the tales of General Kenobi and his Duchess were forgotten.

_Fin_

* * *

**_Significant Brain Damage:_ **

Luke in the Clone Wars with Legends material utilized. On going.

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_**The Making of Mavericks:** _

Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Rex, Cody, in pre-Phantom Menace timeline. On going.

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_**The Darkness Between the Stars:** _

AU, my only non-time travel story, Featuring **Christopher Lee** as Dooku, **an Intelligent Villain**. On going.

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_**The Monarchs of Alderaan:** _

Basically, a crossover between the Prequels and Original Trilogies, where mostly everyone survives until 13BBY before things start imploding and is very Mark Hamil focused, very AU, and my most original plot and characters. On going.

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**_You May Conquer the Land:_ **

Anakin/Padme Centric!(For once) following the idea of what if Anakin had remained a slave and his mother had gone free. My romance genre novella that has mature themes like sex and slavery. Major AU. An Ode to _Ben Hur_ (1959). On going

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Dedication: 

I wrote these stories to wage war against the demons in mind; I hope they have proved as a distraction from your own battles.

Thank you to the reviewers and to the friends who have fed and fostered my muses. 

  
  



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